Shadows of the past
by Alpha121
Summary: The teen titans disbanded a long time ago, each gone to live their own lives. However Gia, Daughter of Raven and Beast Boy has just become leader of the Teen Titans. How will her life change in her battles with Slade? No matter what happens, though, she will always protect this world at any cost, now, and forever. Rated T
1. Chapter 1

Vengeance

It was hard being the only girl in school with green hair and pointy ears. I pulled her hood over her head as I walked down the hall. I got caught two seconds later by a teacher.

"Hood off, I don't care how strange you look."

Apparently, they still think I dyed my hair this way. Believe it or not, I've always had green hair and these disgusting pointy ears, thanks to my father, Garfield. He was the strangest guy ever. He'd gotten in a chemical accident when he was a kid or something like that.

My blue grey skin and lavender eyes, however, were my mother's fault. I had no Idea when this had happened, but I just didn't ask.

I reluctantly pulled the hood off my head, allowing my forest green hair to fall around my face.

I slunk to my next class, being in my seat when the bell rang to start the period. I always got the class with all the people who liked to arrive late, yelling at each other across the room until my head hurt.

As if that weren't bad enough, The biology teacher, Reymond Hoff, started howling at the class. And I mean Howling. He stopped when everyone was silent and looking at him as if he was the biggest freak in the room.

My only friends in the school were all clustered in next to me. Unlike everyone else in this dump, they all had an anomaly about them.

Dianne could move the earth and had a strange habit of turning blue, which she was doing right now. I was the only one who knew about the earth part though. She said it came from her mother, Terra Valin, While her tawny hair and deep golden green eyes came from her father, some guy called Dan Vallin. She got the blue by herself.

Kassie and Don Grayson, the two athletes who's eyes turned purple for Kassie and Silver for Don whenever they got angry. Kassie was so happy all the time though, to most people, they were just downright creepy.

Last of all, JT, a boy who had been born without a hand and got a cybernetic replacement. He was really strong, but not allowed to play sports because of his robotic 'advantage' over the rest of the team.

There was a little laugh as the person who had the entire school believing we were all mutant aliens sent down to kill everyone, Niki Rolands, popular girl to the fact that she was a beautiful cheerleader to the dumbass side.

She sat there while she joyfully twirled her pencil through her hair. Who knows what wasn't going through her perfectly thick skull as we all sat bored to stone as we aced yet another biology test while she focused on her makeup.

Thank god that was the last period of the day.

As I left the school, I flipped my hood over my head and walked out to the bus, separating from some of my gang, JT and Dianne , who only lived a block away and insisted on walking.

Unfortunately for the remaining three of us, there was nothing we could do about the torturous ride on the vehicle of doom for us, as Dick and Kori Greyson were so busy and my parents were always putting extra hours in the lab.

The second I got on the bus, Lizz and Jeff, surrounded by Niki, Sam, Tari, and Jessie stopped us.

"You're walking today Circus freaks. Get off." Lizz said. She was the leader of this merry gang of idiots.

"I'm starting you to want you to make me." Don Snarled, his eyes glowing again.

"Jeff, do me a favor and get them off, I need to maintain my aura untainted. If they spend too much time breathing in here I'll be ruined!" Jeff smiled

In ten seconds we were on our rear ends watching the buss speed away again. "Well that went well, I'm going to walk. With my hood up. In the shadows." I said, embarrassed that yet again I'd let that pig get away with that.

"So am I." Don replied, looking at his twin for a reply.

"I will too. I do not understand why those bastards are so cruel to us just because we are different!" Kassie yelled, and she stormed off.

"Well, standing here isn't going to get us anywhere." I said, Turning towards the long walk home.

"Well, see you around." Don said, walking after his sister.

I hate days like this one where there is simply no escape from the inevitable fact that you are a freak and that your friends are also freaks. I felt like I'd been hit by a semi over and over, no way to dodge, no way to call for help. But the good thing was TGI Friday,

My dad came up with that. I get to choose one thing to do every Friday afternoon because of what I had to go through. Today, I had decided on a Trip to go catch and release fishing in the harbor and a day at the beach. My dad only let me eat fake meat, educating me on the horrors done to animals to make meat, so tonight we were eating tofu steak and something else. In my family, herbal tea was a drink enforced by my mother.

When I finally arrived home, I realized my day would have to be postponed, as the sun was setting.

"Gia, what happened? Weren't you on the bus?" Dad asked. He always seemed more paranoid than mom.

"No, Me Don and Kassie got kicked off by that putrid popular girl and her gang. She decided to have her jock throw us to the curb."

"I'll call the school about that. But for now, its dinner time. I made what you wanted, since it was supposed to be your day."

After I ravenously gulped down dinner, I called the Grayson's house on my cell phone. Don picked up. "Hey Gia. Glad to know you made it home okay. Mom and Dad are still working, Can you believe that?" He asked.

"Yeah, remember when they stayed out for two days before you called the cops who found the at their offices? "

"Oh, right. That makes this very believable."

"So, I'm seeing if I can get the gang together, you know, go visit the old titan's tower."

"Cool. I'll get Kassie there at about twelve."

"Ok, see you there."

BEEP.

She dialed JT.

Ring, Ring, Ring,

"Hello, JT speaking."

"Hey, JT, just wondering if you can make it to the old titans tower at the island at noon tomorrow.

"Sure. Oh, and I'm hanging with Dianne right now, so I'll tell her."

"Thanks. Bye."

BEEP.

She sat back on her bead and looked out the window expecting to see stars or the full moon, instead, I saw a giant monkey's face.

I screamed and raced out of the room, hearing the wall being torn off. "What the hell?! There's a giant ape in our house!"

I suppose I shouldn't be surprised by this at all, seeing as I'm a blue girl with green hair and elf ears whose parents are genetic rejects, but a monkey the size of our kitchen was a bit much.

Hearing me, Mom and Dad sprang to their feet, and the weirdest part of all happened. My totally blunt and predictable father turned into a velociraptor.

My mother however, was extremely predictable in this manner, and black orbs of dark energy encircled her hands, and the two went out and attacked.

I always knew my mother was magic. It just never came up in a conversation.

I heard a thud from up above, and ran from the house the second it caved in.

My father limped out, covered in blood and gore, followed by my mother. "Gia, try to change forms!" He yelled at me.

"What? How?" I screamed back.

"Just will yourself to become something and you will!"

Okay, right now, I want to be a kangaroo. Okay, that didn't work. How about a chipmunk. Nope. Okay, time to dig a little deeper. I tapped into an energy that I had never known existed in me before.

My eyes glowed sea blue, and I willed myself to turn into a lion, and It only worked halfway. I had poofy hair all over, claws, razor sharp teeth and a tail. Lucky me, I look like a monster.

A Robot thing swooped down at me, and deciding to try my claws out, I slashed the metal bitch to ribbons.

I was still shocked that this was happening. I couldn't believe I was miss half lion here when just a few hours ago I was the kid who just got kicked off of the buss.

"Asarath Metrion Zinthos!" Called my mother, who, by now, I'd deduced was Raven. My father, Duh, Beast Man, since at his age calling him Beast Boy was just downright offensive. So, that makes me some sort of, I don't know, Animal girl?

"Try tapping your other reserve!" My mother shouted. My eyes, still glowing blue, saw a metal monster army heading for me.

So, I had distinguished the beast transformation reserve, but I had time to finish my transformation and become magic lion kid before it kicked in.

I shifted back to human, and stretched my hand out, a weak field flickering around it.

My father was body slammed across to the other building, and feeling a fury of my life being torn apart, I shot out cords of the energy, smashing them into each other and taking out twenty more before I was completely drained, and had to dodge from the others until my mom took a portal over to me and handed me a sheet of paper.

"Go to the titan's tower and take refuge there NOW. These key codes should get you in."

"What about you guys? I hate to be a voice of doom here, but you're almost dead!"

"Go, NOW!"

Something told me she wasn't kidding, so I ran, but just got around the corner before getting trapped by debris. Cursing at my bad luck, I turned to go the other way, and was faced by the goriest scene ever, my parents' deaths.

I felt horror and an uncontrollable rage inside of me. My energy reserves filled, and I was faced with a choice, either try to avenge my parents therefore letting their deaths be in vain, or I could live to fight another day.

I knew what the right choice was, so I slid through the pile of metal and glass, and ran all the way to Titan's tower.


	2. Chapter 2

Vengeance Part 2

I was devastated. I'd just seen my parent's murdered, my home destroyed, and my life had been flipped upside down. I now know why I am a freak, why I have always a reject to society. My parents were Titans, and I'd been lied to my whole life.

Right now I'm wearing a deep purple tee shirt and long blue jeans, still spattered with blood from an hour ago.

Finally, after an hour of running, and then driving My father's old boat, I finally arrived at the Tower.

Instead of entering, I just collapsed in a heap under a bush. I needed strength. Tapping into my dark energy source, I used it to keep me up until I dialed in the security code and entered. With no strength left, I collapsed on a couch in the main room.

I quickly checked security footage, making sure I was the only one there, and passed out.

In the morning, I woke up on the floor, momentarily forgetting where I was. And then I saw all the high tech equipment around me and remembered, finally stopping to grieve. All that was clear is that my parents had died for me, and their killer was a Brain in a jar controlling a giant super monkey.

I remembered my mother instructing me on controlling my emotions.

I used all of the meditating and sheer willpower I had to keep me up. I checked the time, the big titans clock read 12:00 PM.

Oh my god, the others!

I'd called the rest of the gang over. I was quick to enter my hand's biometrics into the Titan's computer.

The instructions on the sheet were very specific. They'd been preparing for this day.

Taking a deep breath, I walked down from the main room, and after a few wrong turns, made my way outside. The others jumped as the door to the tower opened, and I walked from the entrance, in the same cloths as last night.

"What the Fuck Gia!? What happened? We went to your house and saw it was destroyed! What happened to you!?" Don exclaimed, the others tense with worry. I couldn't hold it in any longer.

I collapsed into Don's arms, sobbing.

They seemed to get the message. "They're dead, aren't they, your parents." I'm not sure what scared them more, the bloodstained outfit, my parents dead, my home destroyed, or the fact that I'm having a mental breakdown.

I struggled to regain control over myself. "My parents lied to me my whole life, and didn't come clean until the attack last night." I said.

"What do you mean? I thought they were good people." Kassie asked.

"My parents were titans. Beast man and Raven." I said looking at my feet. "That's why I look like this. That's why I have these powers, and that's why they were hunted down and killed."

"Woah, you mean, you're a superhuman? You're living in the tower?" JT was nice, but I didn't understand where I'd seen that tech before I ever met him, Cyborg, teen titan, and a great guy.

"I don't know about staying, and the security system won't recognize you. It's safer for you to be away from me anyway." I turned to the gang. "Head home and ask your parents about the Titans. You might get some answers to this inferno."

I was about to disappear back into the tower when Don grabbed my arm.

"I already did, and I'm coming with you."

Kassie looked surprised. "Brother, why did you not tell me of this? How come you haven't told me about your meeting with our parents?"

"I have a secret to share. My father is Nightwing, and my mother is Starfire. I went over to your house last night and I saw the wreckage. I recognized Beast Man when I ran. So I asked Father, and he told me."

"Seriously?" I asked.

He nodded, dead serious. " Kassie, you need to go talk to Dianne and JT's parents, I found out a little something you might be interested in."

"You can use my dad's boar if you want to." I said, spotting a pile of wreckage on the side of the island. "It looks like you tore up the other one, but just be careful, okay."

The three nodded, darting to the boat. "Nightwing gave me an entry key." Don said, typing into into the computer. I simply walked in after him.

"Wow. When I imagined the inside of the Titan's tower, I never thought it would look this cool!" Don gasped.

"I only know my way to the main room, I left the instructions and map on the counter."

Deciding showing off my new skills to Don might make me feel better, I tapped into my beast power source and transformed into a shimmering blue Eagle, swooping unsteadily down the halls.

By the time he caught up with me, I was stuck mid transformation again. "Ugh, this is so weird." I muttered.

"Um, uh, yeah so, when the hell could you do that!?" He asked, looking about as shocked as a pigeon that landed on a weak electric wire.

"Since last night." I fought the urge to weep all over again. Grieving will not get me anywhere. I needed to stick this one out for them. My mother had prepared me endlessly for this.

Seeing me like his unnerved him. I tapped into my power source, ready to turn back into a human, then realized that an eagle couldn't cry, there were no tear glands. So all I did was get rid of the feathers which had turned green.

I picked up my instructions. There was a map, and a point labeled Gia's room on it.

"Looks like I'm living here after all. I have a room already. I'm sure they knew this day was coming." I said.

"Yeah, this is so creepy, how even my parents envisioned me living here." Don replied, looking at his map.

Indeed his parents had known this day would come. He had a room built as well.

"Creepy. Well, it's time to move on." I said. He looked glum, obviously shaken by this turn of events. "Well there is one upside." I said.

"And that would be?" He asked dejectedly.

"Nobody can push you around anymore."

That seemed to lighten the mood.

We split up through the tower. I spent an hour exploring before I entered my room and gasped.

The room was a gorgeous shade of lavender, accompanied by some shades of blue and black furnishings. It had a round bed by a window. Several bookshelves and a closet lined the outside.

There was a brand new high tech laptop on a desk by a wall, and when I opened it up, I realized that this is a military grade database computer with built in hacking abilities and files on every villain the titans had ever faced and more.

I looked through my closet, finding several of my favorite outfits lined the shelves.

I continued to explore, checking out my bookshelves, filled with a lot of things they knew I'd want. There was a meditation area in the corner, and a few potted plants with water running through them, giving the room an entirely new feeling of home.

Home. I can't believe everything could suddenly end up like this. I steeled myself and shifted completely into my human form. I started meditating in the special corner, and this time, called upon my powers as I did.

I meditated, hovering a little bit from the ground as I did so. This lasted for an hour before Don walked in.

"Oh, sorry to disturb you, but I thought you should just come help me get into the Tower's database. You were authorized ahead of time and I wasn't."

I left my cocoon of peace and stood up, walking out the door with him and heading to the main room.

"Okay, I memorized the instructions. So all I have to do is press a few buttons," I placed my hand on the scanner for the authorization, and then moved to the side. "Now you let it scan your hand into the mainframe and you are an official resident of Titans tower."

He complied, and watched as it scanned him. "So, I guess this means the two of us are Titans." He said.

"What else are we supposed to do. Hey, are your parents heading over here?" I asked.

"Yeah, they're just not coming yet. Mom's pregnant again, and dad wants to keep her out of the action for a bit." Don said, making a face. "As if two kids grew up so well in normalcy. I think they'll be joining us soon."

I smiled. There was a beep on the intercom. I checked the security camera. There was the rest of the gang, accompanied by Cyborg!

"Well, it looks live the rest of the gang has arrived." I said. Turning into an eagle again, I flew down the hall, while Don ran behind me, panting.

I reached the door and finally perfected the art of transforming completely, and opened the door. Now I was surprised. Standing in front of me was Cybord and JT, apparently family, and behind them was Dianne accompanied by Terra, and Kassie.

The two older titans looked me up and down, before Cyborg held his hand out for a handshake. "Hello there. You must be BB and Raven's kid. Hey, are they here?" I tensed, steeling myself. He read me perfectly.

"No, it's, they're dead, aren't they." I growled a quick yes before turning around, doing a complete transformation into another bird I didn't care to identify and swooped away.

I heard them talking downstairs as I transformed back into human. This was going to take a lot of getting used to. I walked up to the Titans computer and started looking for something to beat up. Nothing showed. I knew I can kick butt because of last night, and my life had changed so completely since then.

I let an orb of ocean blue light appear around my hand. I had to be strong. Inside the orb, I clenched my hand into a fist. Then I dissipated it as I turned on the radio to a rock station. The news highlighting the house of ruble on 6th street was on, so I turned it off and decided to practice using my powers.

I headed down to my room, where I turned into a fox, a leapord, and a Raven, well, sort of. I couldn't turn into a Raven without having four eyes, which gets really confusing after a while.

There was a knock on my door, a loud one, so I suspected it was Cyborg, and I opened it to see I was right.

"Listen, I'm sorry about upsetting you earlier, it's just that I didn't know about it until now." He said. "Come on, do you want a tour of the tower?" He asked.

"I memorized the blueprints, but it would be nice to see everything firsthand. Hey, are the other three staying?"

"Not until their rooms are finished. They don't have anything here yet. You and Don were the first two we built rooms for. We just figured out that the brotherhood was making a comeback a few days ago. This was a fallback position in case the worst happened, and now it has. I just wish it wasn't so soon."

I stayed quiet for a moment. "Well, in my life with my parents I heard a lot about the Teen Titans. You guys were always facing challenges and getting through them. I don't intend for this to crush me, because otherwise, I've failed."

Cyborg looked at me strangely. "That sounded a lot like something a friend of mine would have said at your age." He said.

_He must mean mom or dad._ I thought.

"Anyway, before we start our merry tour, I thought I'd show you a place to practice your powers and combat skills." We stopped at the entrance to a room that looked like the mother of all Gyms. "I'll get the others."

I looked around. There was a punching bag, weights that range to the thousands in pounds, a treadmill, a small sparring circle in the center of the room, some other equipment I didn't recognize, and a control panel for drones. Something for everybody.

Cyborg and Terra brought the rest of the young titans in. JT was eying the weights, while Dianne was interested in some of the unknown equipment. Kassie was staring intently at the drones while Don looked at the punching bag. I liked the Sparring arena.

"Well, your Nightwing and Starfire asked me to take care of your training until they can head over, so let's start in the sparring arena. JT and Gia, you're up first" _Yes! _"And no powers yet Gia, I want a clean fight." _NO!_

I knew that I was facing an eminent butt kicking. JT looks like the strongest person here, he was the biggest. But that doesn't mean I can't use that to my advantage. I'm more small and lithe, so I can land more hits.

The two of us entered the circle. "Last one in the circle or standing wins!" So I don't have to hit him. I stalked around him, until I was at the edge of the ring. Then I waved him to make the first move, making sure I looked arrogant.

He took the bait and lunged. At the last second, I flipped over his head and gave him a sharp kick in the back, sending him out of the circle on his face while I landed in the perfect center of the ring without a scratch.

"I'm getting a serious sense of Deja-vu towards the attitude and fighting style here." Cyborg whispered to Terra, thinking I couldn't hear him. Well folks with these huge ears I don't think there's anything short of a pulse that I can't hear, unless I'm in close range. "I know, she seemed like Robin when she pulled that move."

Well, that's not what I had in mind. I thought he was thinking of one of my parents, but Robin? That's a bit much, even for me.

"Okay, Dianne, you're up, and remember, no powers!"

I knew she couldn't be baited like JT, she had seen me play that. So my trick this time, get her to unbalance herself and then keep her off balance until she falls out. I slipped around her, making it look like I'm a one trick pony, so she leaped, dodged to the left and punched at my right, and I dodged all her moves before taking her feet out from under her and shoving her back.

"Where'd you learn o fight like that?" asked Dianne.

I shrugged. Moving to my place in the circle. Now was the tricky part. Don was pitted up against me, and I've known him since I was a kid. He knew me and I knew him. I decided to try something new.

Before I could plan my strike, he'd attacked. I did a roll to the center. He was still in after a fast recovery. We shared the same strength, speed. So one of us would have to be faster than the other, unless I was to tire him out first. I dodged tight and left, striking blows at his ankles and shoulder blades. I always moved around his fists, until I got an Idea. He punched at me again, and I grabbed him by the arms and threw him from the circle.

"Wow, you really can kick butt! I'll have to practice the 'run away' technique from now on."

I rolled my eyes and took my position to fight Kassie, who looked pale. It was very easy to get her out of the circle. I simply picked her stiff form up and set it on the other side of the line.

"The super champion is Gia!" Shouted JT in his best imitation of the guy who narrarates football games. It was a good one.

"Well, now I'd like to see JT fighting Don. Winner fights Kassie."

Loosing interest, I activated the attack drones. They were designed to automatically repair themselves. I saw them launch from my peripheral vision. I tapped into my mother's power and shredded them, before turning into a panther and taking out the rest. Shifting into human form, I saw that sure enough, they were mending themselves until I let Dianne have a turn. She had won her fights, and was bored, like me. I went over to the treadmill and turned into a cheetah, taking it at full speed. JT hadn't had much luck in his battles, so he was over punching his bag until it burst, scattering fluff all over me and ruining my pace and concentration. As a blue cat, I like fluffy things. Don and Kassie were still sparring, and I went over to the punching bag when the alarm went off.

"Sounds like Trouble!" I shouted, and headed up to the titans main computer to see what was wrong. I heard Cyborg mutter behind her, "She's even starting to sound like Robin." Jesus, when was he gonna take a hint? I'm not like Robin! Although, he might just be complimenting me, so I might as well stay myself.

"I checked the computer. Gizmo is Robbing a bank." I called.

"Well, I think Terra and I can handle this…"

"No, I'm coming with." I called. "You disbanded a long time ago, so anyone who wants to come can." I looked at my team. Wait, did I just say_ my_ team? I'm getting weird in this way.

"Heck yeah!" JT said. "I reconfigured the circuitry on my arm to make a sonic laser cannon!"

"I'm coming, I have a grip on my powers, thanks for not helping mom." Dianne said, turning blue.

"Maybe Kassie and I haven't learned to use our powers yet, but we can still kick ass!" Don said.

I turned to Cyborg. "Well?"

"No, Nightwing gave me strict orders not to…"

"Who cares what Nightwing says! Come on Teen Titans!" I called. We were out of the tower in moments.

We arrived at the scene via wings and floating rock taxi.

Gizmo looked up. "Who are you supposed to be kiddies?"

I landed and shifted forms. "We are the Teen titans, and we're gonna take you down!"

He looked surprised for a moment and then laughed. "You're joking Right? You little snot picking piglets against me?"

To answer him, I shouted "Teen titans, Go!"

We attacked at full force, which may have been a little much for the poor midget. He was captured and subdued in a matter of moments, swearing a big long line of curses which would be blocked out if this was a Cartoon.

"Aww, yeah baby! Our first mission and the bad guy bites the dust! Who wants Pizza to celebrate?" JT shouted. We headed over to the nearest Pizza joint to celebrate.

"Woah, I'm definitely getting the all meat pizza." JT said.

"Hold on a second, I'm a vegetarian, was raised a vegetarian, and have recently been turning into those animals. I'm not eating a meat Pizza!"

And we argued over that for a moment before Kassie shattered the moment, Don, correcter her, and so on.

But we didn't see the camera fly by.

The newest Slade smiled. He had met his quarry, and was very intent on taking them down.


	3. Chapter 3

Vengeance part 3

I smiled. Our first villain had been taken out, and the Teen Titans were ready to fight. We'd finally agreed on a pizza, and there was only one piece left.

"This Piece is mine!" JT smiled, reaching for it.

"Oh, no it isn't!" Dianne slapped his hand away.

"How about I spin the pizza and whoever it stops pointing at it gets it." I suggested.

"Okay." The others sighed

I spun the pizza and it landed on… Kassie!

"Yes! The piece is mine!" She celebrated. The rest of us looked away while she stuffed the whole thing in her mouth at once.

"Um, Kas, didn't mom go over table manners?"

Don said, trying to be as gentle as possible.

Kassie's face turned pink with embarrassment.

"Well, who wants to head back to the tower? There's still a lot we need to see there. I mean, that place is huge! I can't believe we'll be living there!" JT said, breaking the awkward moment.

"Sure!" Dianne said quickly

"I don't see why not." I added.

"No harm done that I can see." Don agreed.

"Of course!" Kassie added.

So off we headed. I turned into a bird and flew, as usual, while Dianne gave the others a ride. I arrived first, opening the door for the rest.

Dianne ditched the rock where she found it and we headed inside.

"Did you see the look on that little Twerp's face? We totally kicked his but!" JT said, smiling in that cheesy way of his.

Our mood was shattered when we got to the main room to find Nightwing, Starfire, Cyborg, and Terra glaring at us.

"Um, it there a problem? Before you say anything, I'm the one who had everybody take off, but you disbanded what twenty years ago? We had a claim to the title through inheritance and we kicked that guy's butt." I said, staring them up and down.

Okay, I may just be thirteen, and JT is fourteen with a couple twelve year olds and another thirteen, but I can display nerve.

Instead of the angry scolding I thought we were goanna get, Nightwing, to everyone's surprise, smiled at us.

"I wasn't going to say anything. You did a good job." Don's jaw dropped to the floor, Kassie fainted with relief. We all stared at Kassie for a moment before shrugging it off and returning to the conversation.

"Do you know how hard it was for us to take out Gizmo the first couple times? I saw the security footage. You did it easily. At first when Cyborg told me you'd run off with them, I was mad, but now, there's really not going to be any holding you back, is there?"

I shook my head, uncrossing my arms, a smile forming on my face.

"Well, then I guess the only thing we can really do is help with your training."

That got my whole team smiling. _I think it's pretty clear for the world to see that I'm the self elected leader that everybody else is following_.

"We're going to stay at the Tower for a while to help with your training. After that, Starfire and I will be heading to Gotham. Figured you wouldn't need us here." Nightwing said. "Don, Kassie, Your mother will show you how to use your powers, the rest of you seem to have things figured out."

I nodded, and guessing that the conversation was over as three people were excluded, I started to head back to my room to put that new laptop to use when Nightwing stopped me.

"Wait, I have something else to say." Looking at the others, he sent Diane and JT to train with their parents. "Okay, when Cyborg first called me, I thought you were going to get creamed. Turns out you weren't, and you sort of took control of the situation out there. Good job. I don't think this team could've chosen a better leader. Leaders have to adapt at times, sort of like now."

I looked at him, deciding to use my inherited powers as an empath. "Something else is bothering you, isn't it? You don't want to tell me something. Before you say anything, my mother was an empath." I said.

My mother. I felt a huge pang in my stomach. I'd almost forgotten about what happened in the course of events, but I forced myself to stay calm.

Then I remembered the time Don told me why he never visited his grandparents. They had died in Gotham city during the circus when the ropes had been cut. I swallowed, realizing how Robin had appeared shortly after that, it was strangely similar about what was happening to me.

Nightwing sighed. "I wasn't planning to talk to you about this yet, but seeing as you've already figured it out, I'd like to train you, you know, like a protégé." I looked like I'd just been given a million bucks without even asking for it. I guess a million bucks was pretty small compared to my face, so make that a Trillion.

He smiled. "I looked like that when I figured out Batman wanted to train me as Robin. Is that a yes or a no?"

"I-I yes? Maybe? What the hell is happening to my already twisted beyond recovering life?" I said, still shell shocked and hardly maintaining my balance.

Nightwing, Famous superhero and former leader of the teen titans wants to train me?

"What about Don and Kassie?" I asked, still trying to figure out if I'd heard right.

"They took to their mother's side. They hardly have any human in them, so it's up to Starfire to train them."

"Okay, I need a minute to think. You know, get used to everything that's going on right now." I didn't know what to feel. First it's like I've been hit by a freight train over and over again until I'm a helpless cripple, and then I win the Olympic Games, and before you know it I'm being handed a fortune.

"Well, when you have an answer, I'll, either here or fighting crime." He said.

I walked away, feeling my mind whirl, and before I knew it, I was in my room standing stiff as a board while staring at a wall.

It took two hours for my mind to get anything into it.

By then, I couldn't even tell I'd fallen over until my brain started functioning again. _Wow._

I sat up, and focused on putting the data on Gizmo into my laptop.

Let's see, by now he's twenty four years old, five feet two inches tall, and a mechanical genius. Taken down at Second Street, Saturday September 17, 2021, while robbing a bank Time, 7:12 PM, and 19:12 military time. Has a weak spot between the shoulder blades where if you can score a hit his tech goes down.

I saved the info and closed the computer. Now time to think about Nightwing's offer. I could become a real super heroine. I just need training and experience, which can be gained if I take Nightwing up on his offer.

On the other hand, I could figure things out by myself, which would most likely include a lot of being defeated, nearly dying, being hunted as the apparent leader of the Teen Titans with no help, and possibly being killed on the way. Yep, Nightwing had the better deal. My only other option at this point would be to quit completely, which means being killed by Monsieur Malla and The brain, and as far as I'm concerned, Madam Rouge.

Yeah, I'm going to say yes, after I meditate. I can't freeze up like that again. It would just prove that I'm not cut out for this life.

I headed over to my meditation area, closed my eyes, and used my powers, but this time, a small chant escaped me, "Asarath Metrion Zinthos." I kept repeating it, and found my scenery changing.

I was in a strange dimension, with a dark purple sky and Rocky ledges. I stood up. "Where am I?" To my surprise, another me, smiling giddily skipped forwards. "You're in your mind silly!" She giggled. "I'm happy! You know, your emotion!"

"Okay, I knew it. I've finally gone off the deep end."

"No you haven't." Said another me, this time with glasses and an encyclopedia, (Scary) " Your mother did this every time she meditated. It's perfectly normal for empaths."

I nodded. "And do you have a name?" I asked me.

"Yep. I'm knowledge. The smart one here. I've been chaperoning Happy everywhere. Also lazy. Where is lazy by the way?"

A loud belch sounded from across the platform. I recoiled in disgust as yet another me, but not me, stepped forwards before flattening herself to the ground.

"Oh, there. By the way, someone's knocking at your door. The cute one, you know, Don." I imagined punching knowledge in the face before making myself stop chanting and waking myself.

I realized I'd been levitating almost a foot off the ground and had a much easier time getting up.

There was a knock at my door. I walked over to open it and sure enough, Don was outside.

"I heard about your talk with Nightwing. You're lucky. I'm more Tamaranian than human, so there's not much that he can teach me. I mean, there's nothing he can teach me.

"Well, I'm sure he isn't overlooking you and Kassie, he just can't do anything for you at the moment."

"Oh, by the way, Dianne rented a movie, she's trying to get everyone to watch. Some kind of horror movie, The Terrible ghost monster or something like that. Just wants everyone to watch."

He led me down the hall into the main room, me thinking about how I'd never known Dianne to be the cheesy movie person.

When we were all flopped on the couch, Dianne made a point of a theatrical beginning.

"Okay, you've probably all seen some pretty scary movies in your life, seen terrifying things. But nothing will ever come close to this, ever!"

When no one responded, she tried again.

"So some people say that this movie is evil, that whenever they watch it, strange things happen to them, Evil things. And the last person to watch it was cursed! Muahahahaha!"

"Just start the movie." Don said, flipping through a magazine.

Dianne looked visibly crushed and annoyed. Bug on a windshield. She dejectedly turned on the TV and flopped on the couch with the rest of us.

About two and a half hours later, we were all staring open mouthed at the Television screen.

"Is it over?" Dianne asked, hunkered in a ball under the couch.

"I dare not open my eyes to find out!" Kassie squeaked, a pillow over her face.

"I've Witnessed my parent's deaths, been crept up on by a giant monster monkey, went to the premier of the walking garden and threw rocks at a brain in a jar, and nothing even comes close to this!" I gasped.

We all started laughing.

"Wahoo! Man, at first when I heard the title, I thought this was goanna be a cheesy little kiddy movie, but this is awesome!" JT exclaimed.

"Yeah! Great Fear factor!" I shouted.

Don pretended he wasn't remotely impacted by the movie. "Can we watch something god next time?"

We all glared at him.

"What?

"Well, it's getting late, I'm turning in for tonight." I said.

"Dad just added the finishing touches on my room here, so I'll be down the hall if the curse of the movie shows up." JT said, sarcasm in his voice.

Don followed us. "I am getting tired. You two should head home. I'm spending the night here to adjust."

I heard Dianne and Kassie head down the hall to the exit.

Opening my door, I turned on the light. I'd spent too long meditating today, so I'd have to talk to Nightwing about my answer tomorrow.

I had a good feeling about this team. I knew that this is the life I'd been cut out for. I'd never fit in a normal life no matter how hard I try.

I pulled the covers of my new bed over me. This is the way I know I have to live, and there was no way that I'd change anything.


	4. Chapter 4

Vengeance part 4

I woke up to the sound of my alarm clock. I set to wake me up at 6:00 AM every morning.

BEEP  
BEEP  
BEEP

I turned it off. Wow, that was the best night's sleep I'd had in years! I stretched, jumping off the bed and landing lightly. I entered my walk in closet and changed into a Purple shirt and blue jeans, pulling my hair into a braid before heading to the main room.

Everything seemed good for now. I'm leader of a team of superheroes to be, and I'm going to be the famous Nightwing's protégé.

It's Sunday, September 18, 2021. Second day living in the Tower.

I was happy until I heard sobbing from the main room. I ran as fast as I could, Mood instantly changed. Everyone was there but Terra, and Dianne was the one in tears.

"What happened?" I asked, with a sinking feeling in my stomach.

"The Brotherhood of evil struck again. Terra and Dan Vallin are dead." I froze. That was yet another orphaned Titan.

"Something has to be done about this!" I shouted

Everyone nodded in agreement, except for Dianne, who was being taken to her mother's old room.

This wasn't something I could pretend was a simple quest for revenge against former Doom Patrol members and their families, this was about the Titans. The former Titans and their families. Like us.

I allowed my fingernails to turn into claws and to grow fangs. That was the signal to everyone that I'm mad. It's funny, I couldn't even tell I had these powers until I struggled to use them the first time, and now I can hardly control them.

"I say we go looking for them before someone else gets killed!" JT snarled.

I had an Idea. "Or you could use me as bait. They are going after everyone related to the last Titans group, and when they attack me, all of us jump whoever attacks."

"No." Everyone said in unison.

"Ok, then do you have any Ideas?" I looked around.

"We could make communicators. That way, if someone is attacked, we can radio everyone else for help." Don said.

Everyone nodded, but I still remembered the story my parents told me about the brotherhood of evil tracking the Titans with them.

"Are you sure? Having Beast Man as my father, I know a lot about the Titans. I remember him telling me that the Brotherhood of evil used Titan communicators to track the Titans."

Nightwing nodded. "Last time, it was my fault. I gave the communicator to Madam Rouge disguised as Hotspot. It ended up with the brotherhood of evil nearly wiping out the Teen Titans. Being frozen as a trophy for the brotherhood of evil wasn't fun."

"Well, we do need a way to communicate. We can't just go around without a way to talk to each other."Don said.

I realized how silent Kassie was being. It was most unlike her. "Kassie, you're quiet today. Any suggestions?" I tapped my mother's power reserve and read her mind.

_Stupid Titans They have no Idea what's coming._

"I do not know what should be done. If we cannot communicate, more titans will die, but if we do have communicators, they can track us." Now that isn't how Kassie talked. Instead of communicators, she would have said, the devices of communication.

"Well, I think you've made your point clear." I said, pulling her disguise away with my powers. "Madam Rouge."

This was a shocker to everyone. Except for Don and I, who pretty much knew all along that A, Kassie never shuts up, B, she doesn't speak like a French person, and C, she never makes a habit of understanding threats.

"What did you do with Kassie?" I asked, making a solid orb of energy encase the Madwoman.

"Why you little," Madam Rouge snarled.

"I asked you a question." I began shrinking the orb, making it seem as if I was going to crush her.

"Madam Rouge. I will ask you once. What. Did. You. Do. With. My. Daughter." Nightwing growled dangerously.

"Wouldn't you like to know." Madam Rouge scoffed.

I shrank the orb further.

"Yes we would." Came Starfire's reply.

I could see that starbolts were about to fly from Don and Starfire. JT and Cyborg had their sonic cannon arms ready. Dianne had returned and had spikes made of rock floating over the sphere. Nightwing had his weapons ready. I myself was ready to crush her, when another thought occurred to me. If I could now read minds, maybe I could probe them for answers too.

I focused, using more of my dark energy than I had ever tried to use before, and searched her mind. Memories flashed before me, Rouge's memories. I delved deeper and deeper, unaware of how badly I was hurting her. Finally I found it. She'd drugged Kassie and tied her up, leaving her with General Imortis as bait for the rest of us.

I withdrew. "She's in the sewers under the city. The brotherhood of evil is using her as bait in a trap to get at the rest of us."

Everyone was staring at me with surprise. "What did you just do?" Nightwing asked, a look of horror in his face.

I turned my attention back to Madam Rouge, and my jaw hit the floor in horror. She was limp, drool hanging from her mouth with her eyes wide in shock and pain.

"But, how? I was just trying to find out where, how did I do this?" I was shocked and appalled at myself.

Nightwing looked more surprised now. "Kassie, what you just did is a Martian form of interrogation. Your father got his powers when he got a blood transplant by a friend of mine, Me'gaan Mo'ors, Martian man hunter's niece. She tried that once on a group of alien villains, chrolotains. She had no Idea she was doing anything wrong for a while.

"I didn't know you could have inherited those abilities, your father didn't have them. I think you got a little more Martian DNA than anyone realized."

I was shocked. I'm part Martian? That is not what I expected, not at all. "I won't do this again. I didn't even know I had Martian DNA."

There goes my chance of being Nightwing's Protégé. I'm a monster. Not really, but what I can do scares me.

What would the average leader have done? Faced the consequences of her actions and try to fix what she'd caused. But what did I do? I ran.

Before I knew it, I was locked into my room. I remembered going inside my mind when I meditated. Maybe I can shut off that part of me. I don't want that power. I don't want any power. I'm not ready for it.

I headed to my meditation area, folding myself into a meditation position. I closed my eyes and began to chant, "Asarath Metrion Zinthos"

I stood up in my mind. Feeling power coursing through me. Knowledge was next to me.

"You shouldn't try to turn off your powers Gia, it's too dangerous!"

"Yeah, well what's more dangerous, me with my powers or without! I just fried somebody's brain! I can't be trusted to use my powers responsibly, so I shouldn't have them!"

"That was a mistake! How are you supposed to control your powers without knowing you have them? You were cut out as a masterpiece of power and you very well could kill us by taking it away from yourself!"

"That or I can quit all this nonsense!"

"Don's at your door, are you going to answer it or ignore him?"

"I have to do this."

I could feel the strength of my powers growing stronger. I found a field of lighted orbs and recognized one as my mental powers, the mind probing orb that gave me the ability to do what I did to Madam rouge. I tried to destroy it, and couldn't. so instead, I used my dark energy to lock it away forever, I hoped.

All of a sudden, I couldn't hear knowledge griping anymore. I looked over, and she was completely blue, passed out on the ground.

I got scared. I tried to find my emotions but they were the same as knowledge, all passed out and dark blue.

I tried getting out of my mind and couldn't. I only heard a loud cry that sounded like Kassie yell, and a gasp from Nightwing. I couldn't see or feel or move, let alone taste, just hear.

I heard doors open and close, and the sound of the beeping infirmary. And then I heard the word Coma, and something bout self inflicted. That's when I realized what I'd done.

I'd put myself into a coma, and now I was doomed until I could find a way out of it.

I ran back to the orb and tried to take away the covering, and failed. I had used up all of my reserves for now, so I just had to wait. I turned into a falcon and got a better view of the area. Nothing seemed right. Fires blazed at the edges of the forests that lined my mind. Frost covered other parts. I saw memories in each forest, and blue creatures I'd turned into fleeing the scene.

What exactly had I just done o myself? Did I simply hit a switch and turn myself off? Why didn't I listen to knowledge when I had the chance?

I saw the fires grow larger, devouring my memories, and I landed, slowly falling into forgetfulness.

My eyes opened in a weird room. Where am I? Who am I? Why do I have blue feathers? Am I a bird? Wait, what is a bird?

"Oh, thank god! You're awake! We thought we'd lost you Gia!" A weird thing in a mask and black stuff on his pale skin stepped forwards, flinging its odd sticks at me.

I cocked my head in confusion and squawked. Unsure of what to do. I flapped my wings twice and hopped away a few steps.

His brow furrowed. "Gia, It's me, Nightwing. Remember?"

Is he talking to me? He doesn't have wings, and its broad daylight. "Kaw?"

He looked horrified. "You, whipped your memory! Why the hell would you do that?"

The thing howled. Startled, I screeched and flew to a space that looked open and hit something. I fluttered, still screeching.

The big thing reached at me, and I flew up and behind him, out another open space that was actually open.

Another thing blocked my path, sticks flinging towards me. "Kaw! Kaaaaw!" I screamed, lashing my talons at the thing's circle top.

It let out a cry of surprise and I flew past it.

Yet another thing blocked my path, grabbing at me while howling. I swerved to a big open space and hit it, this time crashing through the invisible wall and flying happily away.

A bunch of tall shiny things caught my eyes. I flew towards them with much interest. There was shiny rock thing after shiny rock. I landed next to a not shiny thing and spotted a wingless thing that I didn't like walking down the street.

"Kaw! Kaw!" The thing looked up at me and screamed as I rained talons at its head, pulling fluff out of its scalp until she ran into the non-shiny rock and I lost interest.

I flew up to a moving shiny rock on the ground and swooped in front of it, causing it to scream and run into another one

I landed on an ugly stick in the ground, preening my feathers. A thing walked up to me holding a shiny box. I didn't care until it flashed in my face. "Kaw!" I screamed angrily and the thing ran, and I stole the leaf thing off its head. It was colorful and held my attention until a thing grabbed me from behind.

It was the black thing that had attacked me earlier. It sighed.

"What did you do, Gia? There isn't anyone to help you with this on the planet."

I let out a curious squawk, wondering what the thing kept talking about.

It brightened when it heard me, as if pleased I tried talking to it.

I pecked it on the hand for good measure, causing it to wince.

It was about two days later, and I was beginning to remember stuff. My name is Gia Logan, I'm thirteen years old. I have Superpowers. I'm on a team of other people with superpowers. Their names are Jack-Tyler Stone, or JT stone, Don Grayson, Kassie Grayson, and Dianne Valin. JT is fourteen, Don is thirteen, and so is Kassie. Dianne is twelve.

That's all. I still can't really tell where I am or who the man in a black jumpsuit with pale skin is, but I do remember the names of things and how to fight.

As far as I can piece together my life was sad and that girl I attacked had been my old school enemy, Lizz Emments.

I know she deserved what she got for karma but I still don't understand why.

The people I'm with were keeping me in the infirmary for a while. Kassie had been rescued, but I didn't know why she'd been captured.

I feel a sense of loss, but that's also unclear to me.

I remember someone called knowledge, another me inside my mind had been hurt. That's why I have temporary amnesia. I'm still a bird, but I have somewhat reverted to my human form.

Someone entered the room. "Gia, I brought you something that might help you remember." The one called Don said.

He handed me a picture of my destroyed house. I got more memories. Bad ones. Memories that made me want to run away and puke and scream.

I remembered my parent's deaths.

He saw my reaction.

"Gia, calm down!"

But it was too late. My mind charged into a phase of memories and rage. I remember the thing that had made my life change, I remembered the times I went to school and was helpless, a freak, and a nothing. I remembered the laughter as I fled from my own twelfth birthday party. I remembered the carnage of my life.

And then, those bad memories triggered good ones, my parents and I walking on a beach at sunset, my father always insisting on fake meat, beating up Gizmo at the bank. Having a pizza with my friends. Nightwing's offer. So that's what his name was. I remembered movie night, the scary movie we laughed at after watching, I remembered everything. Including that today was my Fourteenth birthday, Wednesday, September 21,2021.

"I, I remember everything!" I gasped.

Don gave me a warm smile. "Happy birthday Gia."

I sat up straight, shifting completely back to human form.

"Where's everybody else?" I asked.

"They're off fighting a criminal called Merik. He's a rocket scientist looking to steal from Wayne tech."

"Hey, Who said they could join the party without me?"

I leapt off the bed. "You have a handle on those Tamaranian powers yet?" I asked, perched on the windowsill.

"You bet!"

"Let's go!"

The two of us flew out the window.

I had a phobia of being a falcon again, so I turned into a Raven, and as usual, I had four red eyes. I saw the battle long before I heard it. The titans were getting their butts kicked without me. I swooped down, turning into my normal human self and kicked him sharply in the back of his head, ending the battle in moments.

"Who said you could start the party without me?" I asked, smiling. The others stared.

"What, is something wrong?" I asked, again.

" Gia, your hair is brown." JT gasped. I grabbed a lock of my hair to look, and sure enough, I had chocolate colored hair instead of the usual green.

My eyes widened in surprise. "How?" I gasped. Suddenly I willed it to turn green again, and it did.

"Woah, you have another ability! That must be why you went into the coma!" Gasped Dianne.

Truthfully, I don't know why I'd gone into a coma. But apparently, I'd unlocked another Martian ability. This one, however, I could use. Brain probing was strictly off limits, but the others were fine.

I have Martian shapeshifting.


	5. Chapter 5

Vengeance part 5

"Looks like I have yet another Martian ability." I was hardly surprised. I inherited all the other Martian abilities, why shouldn't I be able to do this to, in fact, I was already doing it. Changing into animals was just part of the ability.

"Cool!" shouted JT.

"Well, let's hog tie this creep and head home." I said, kicking the unconscious man's arm.

JT picked up a cable and tied the thief to a pole. We all flew away after.

"Man, why am I the only one who can't fly?" asked JT.

"Because you don't have jetpacks yet." Dianne smiled.

I turned into the glittering four eyed raven and we flew away. I took the lead, Dianne JT and the two Tamaranians close behind me. It's good to have a memory.

I landed lightly at the entrance and shifted into my human form, opening the door. I was disappointed that Don had been the only one to remember my birthday, but then again, I hadn't so I couldn't really blame them.

I headed up to my room and opened my laptop to made a log of the attack. Okay, Wednesday, September 21, 2021. Merik, rocket scientist, attempting to steal parts to an ultrasonic laser satellite cannon. Taken down at 2:03 PM, 14:03 military time. Weapon of choice, thermal blaster.

I closed the laptop after saving my work. That's when I realized how badly I stank. I hurried to the bathroom and took a shower. After I was clean I wrapped a towel around myself and headed back to my room to change.

I chose a Blue top with a black windbreaker and blue jeans. I finally brushed my rat's nest hair and left it down. All clean and changed, I headed back out to the main room. Nightwing and Starfire were having a discussion, Dianne and JT were playing Video games, Kassie was cooking something weird, and Cyborg was lecturing Don about rocket science.

I decided to play a little joke and shape shifted into Raven before walking in. Everyone turned and dropped their jaws to the floor, except for Don, who smirked, knowing it was me.

"Raven?" Cyborg asked, shocked and a little scared.

"Okay, cut the act Gia." Don said, laughing.

I shifted back into myself. Their jaws fell through the floor. "Like the new ability?" I asked.

Starfire was the first to recover. "Oh, marvelous! You have developed the Martian shape shifting!"

I smiled and curtseyed, with a giggle of, "Nearly fooled you."

"Um, since when can you…" Cyborg was at a loss. I felt sorry for him. There was an explosion, and I realized that Dianne and JT hadn't even noticed.

"Aww yeah! I win! Go JT!" He cheered. Dianne was fuming.

"I demand a rematch Tin man!"

"Oh you're on rocky!"

We all laughed. This was really a homey feeling. I changed my hair color from green to yellow to blue and back again, trying to get everyone to remember what day it is without saying it.

Don saw what I was doing and laughed. "You aren't going to stop that until those clueless video gamers take a hint are you."

"Nope!" I started playing with my skin tone too. Then to get their attention, I mimicked a video game car exploding with my voice and made the picture on my hand.

They didn't even look up. I stopped playing around and turned on a radio, listening to my favorite rock song.

Another explosion. "No! No way!"

"Oh yes way brickhead!" JT shouted, doing a victory dance while Dianne gritted her teeth and muttered curses under her breath.

I rolled my eyes and turned my fingernails into claws, and then turning them back.

Turning off the radio, I went back to my room to look at the things I'd taken from the previous encounters with villains. I had the Tip of one of his robotic wings, and the cap off the thermal blaster from tonight. I placed them in the small compartment I had in my closet.

There was a knock at my door. I opened it to find Don outside.

"Yeah?" I asked.

"I just wanted to tell you happy birthday." Said Don, handing me a small box. "I hope you like it."

I opened the box. Inside was a necklace with an amethyst in the middle lined with blue gems and a silver chain.

I gasped. "How did you afford this?"

"Well I couldn't afford a necklace with actual amethysts, so I used painted glass and put it on a plain silver chain. Do you like it?"

"Of course I do! Thanks!"

"I'm sorry everyone else forgot, it's just been a strange couple of days for all of us."

I slipped the necklace on. It was perfect. I'd never worn anything this beautiful in my life. I didn't know what to say. The only real birthday presents I'd ever gotten were from mom and dad.

Their funeral was tomorrow.

He smiled at me. "Come on, there's still a lot to do today before you retreat to your room."

We walked down the hall. Is it weird to have a crush on someone at age 14? To me, yes, it's very weird. But, it also made me feel happy. Like I belonged somewhere.

We entered the training room. "Sparring practice?" He asked.

"You know me, how can I resist kicking your butt?"

"I went easy on you last time. But this time, I'm going to win."

We entered the circle, and began sparring. I dodged his blows and flipped over his head, staying behind him as he whirled, grabbing his arm and throwing him out.

"Wow, nice throw!" He complimented "Rematch?"

I nodded, taking a fighting stance. He walked back into the ring. This time, he made me attack first, and he flipped over my head, catching me by surprise, and I tried jumping, causing us to fall and roll. I struggled to free myself, but got pushed out of the circle with strong arms.

"Good one. Best three of five?" I asked.

He met my challenge. We spent an hour fighting back and forth, easily adjusting to rise to every challenge.

We didn't hear Nightwing enter. "Not bad you two." We jumped, consequently knocking ourselves out of the sparring ring at the same time.

"I need to talk to Gia for a moment, Don." Don nodded and walked out of the door, stopping outside.

"Do you have an answer yet?" He asked. I remembered the offer about becoming Nightwing's protégé.

"Yeah, I'd love to." I said "If the offer's still standing.

"Of course it's still standing. One mistake won't change that. I make plenty of mistakes like that, and do you see me quitting?" I shook my head, smiling.

"Well, then, Don, You can come in now!" he called.

Don walked in, and slapped me a high five.

"How about some target practice? Don, you can try the drones."

He looked startled. "But I can't hit a target standing still!"

"Don't worry, it's easier to hit something when you're moving, as I've done with a grappling hook and birderangs from my days as Robin." He said as Don started to object.

While Don started taking apart drones, which he had a remarkable accuracy at, Nightwing took me over for sparring practice.

I took a fighting stance, preparing myself for anything he threw at me. "Can I use my powers or is this still non superpower fighting?" I asked.

"Try to avoid using your powers as long as you can." He said.

He surprised me by being more agile and acrobatic than he looked. I was thrown to the ground and pinned there.

"Never judge an opponent before they attack." Nightwing instructed.

"Got it." I said, getting up.

Don took the opportunity to stop playing with the drones. "Hey, an you teach me that move dad?" a drone hit him on the back of the head, and he responded by shooting it and it's buddies as round two commenced.

"Ready to try again?" he asked. I nodded. This time, I knew my advantage was being smaller than him.

We got into fighting stance, except this time, I didn't anchor myself to the ground. He attacked, and I dodged to the side, trying to stay behind him as I landed blows. But I took too long on the third one and was pinned again.

"Try to pack some strength behind your hits, momentum can't do everything."

I nodded. Wow I'm overconfident.

We did this five more times, each ending in me being pinned, but it took a few seconds longer each time. Finally, we stopped, me panting from exhaustion and Nightwing barley even sweating.

Don came over and asked for a turn while I headed over to the treadmill, starting as a house cat and moving my way up. I heard the telltale thump as Nightwing won yet another round and turned into a cheetah and sprinted.

There were a few more thuds and growls of frustration before I turned on the drones.

I set them to level five, where I'd left off last time. I was exhausted, but not giving up. I hit the first five to get rid of them and used my powers to take out the rest. Superpowers make life so much simpler.

I heard a loud cry of "Ouch! Dad you just bruised me! Do you know how hard you have to hit to bruise a Tamaranian? You win already!"

I smirked as I walked over to give the punching bag a piece of my mind after leaving the drones after level ten. Before I could start, Nightwing had me come over to the sparring circle again.

I'd decided to try something new this time, let him think he's won before turning the tides.

I took a fighting stance. He attacked, and I rolled to the left coming up on his right and landing a blow on the soft part of his side, causing him to whirl, accidentally catching the side of my head in a really hard blow that sent me flying nearly out of the circle.

Instead of getting up, though, I laid perfectly still, not even breathing. "Okay Gia, you can get up now, playing dead is the oldest trick in the book."

I watched through my eyelashes. When he turned away, I snuck a breath and didn't reply or get up.

This worried him. "Gia, I've pulled that one on Batman one hundred times, you can give it up." I knew he was beginning to worry. I kept holding my breath, not even daring to twitch.

"Gia?" Worry clouded his voice when he saw I wasn't breathing. He came over and crouched, putting himself in a vulnerable position. My lungs screamed for air. I waited until he reached to take my pulse before I wrapped my legs around his Torso and flung him from the ring, breathing to my heart's content.

"Ouch! I can't believe I fell for that!" he groaned, rubbing his head where it had hit the ground.

"Well, you did. I don't think I could have held my breath for much longer, so thanks for falling for it when you did." I grinned.

Don was staring in shock. "You pulled that rick on my Dad, the famous Nightwing, and he fell for the oldest trick in the book?! Agh! Why didn't I think of that?"

I smirked at him, feeling proud of myself.

"Hey, Can I try now?" Don asked.

"Don't pull the play dead trick, because I'm not falling for it twice in one night." He said. "In fact, I shouldn't have fallen for it once."

So instead of hitting the punching bag, I watched as Don got his butt kicked. I laughed.

Dianne walked in and saw me cracking up while Don failed over and over again and hit me in the shoulder. I covered my mouth with my hands and continued laughing. JT and Cyborg glared at me but that just made me laugh harder.

Starfire and Kassie flew in. They glared at me like they wanted to kill, so I shut up, but I couldn't stop the wide grin on my face.

"Yo, if you three aren't too busy in here we have something to do!" Cyborg called. "Everyone into the main room!"

I walked after them until Cyborg said, "Not you, you're being rude."

I knew what this was about. I headed over to my room and put on some cloths that weren't covered in sweat and brushed my hair again. I decided to try to levitate.

I'd done it plenty of times while meditating, so why shouldn't I be able to do it now?

"Asarath Metrion Zinthos." I murmured, tapping my power reserve and willing myself to rise. And what do you know, I was a few inches off the ground. I tried going higher, but found levitating quite taxing to my reserves, and landed.

At least I got five inches, it was a start. I headed over to the bookshelf and picked up a spell book I'd secretly taken from my mother's old room and decided to try a spell or two. I found out how to open portals through objects and levitation was included. I remembered my mother was Trigon's daughter, so I'm a fourth demon, a fourth Martian, and half human. These spells should work fine for me.

There was a tap on my door. I closed the book and replaced it on the shelf. I put the necklace back on and headed out the door. "Yeah?" Nobody answered.

I headed back into my room and started meditating. The tap came again. I burst through the door. "What!" Nothing.

I closed the door again and turned. I did not expect a ,man in a mask that was definitely not a titan. He lunged at me. Wrong move.

"Asarath Metrion Zinthos!" I screamed, shooting a huge blast of dark blue energy at him. He was smashed through the window of my room, which I now realized was open. He caught the edge as a hunk of my wall came off.

That got him mad. I leapt to the side as he shot at me. I turned into a hummingbird and dodged the bullets. I used the levitation spell once I'd gotten out past the intruder. He ran out of bullets.

I used my dark energy to fling him out of my room. He shot my leg with a grappling hook and I fell. Turning into an eagle wouldn't be enough. I had to go bigger and stronger. I turned into a Petrodactyl.

This surprised me as much as the intruder. I sliced the cord with razor sharp talons and dumped him into the ocean. I shot after him, turning into a hammerhead shark as I hit the water. I bit his leg and threw him back on shore before turning into a dolphin, leaping, and then flying the rest of the way as a raven.

Bu now, every last titan in the tower had come out to see what the fuck was going on. I don't think they expected to see what they did. The man caught me in the side with an Iron fist and I could hear ribs snap.

"Slade!" A furious roar sounded from Nightwing.

"Oh, Nightwing, is that what you call yourself now? Never mind. I came for a special reason that I'm not going to let slide. It seems I chose the wrong entry point. This is your apprentice, isn't she, a lovely fight she put up."

I let out a furious growl. That madman made me trash my awesome room and broke my ribs on my freaking birthday!

"So now what, pall. We've got you surrounded, and outmatched I might add." I snarled.

"If you would call of your pet for a moment, Nightwing, we could finish our little feud."

Oh, wrong word choice buddy. "I'm nobody's pet!" I howled, attacking. First I was a lion, and then a raven, and then I tried a velociraptor.

I landed furious blows with the rest of the titans pitching in. Each time I was flung aside and injured like a disappointing toy that some toddler didn't want.

Nightwing was taking a beating, and Starfire and the twins were tangled in a grappling line. I had a broken leg, ribs, jaw, and arm, all on my birthday by one freaking bitch. JT was trapped under a pile of ruble and he'd stuck a magnet to a furious Cyborg.

Who is this guy? I used my levitation spell to keep upright. Shape shifting and hand to hand combat were out to the question, so I used my demon side.

I sent piled of debris flying at the madman, distracting him, giving Nightwing the advantage he needed. I used a healing spell for my jaw and arm before fixing mu ribs. I levitated over the battle. Cyborg had freed himself, and so had the Tamaranians. I lifted the debris off of JT.

Seeing that he was clearly outmatched, he ran, jumping into the ocean.

I fell to the ground, completely out of energy.

"Dude, he totally wrecked the tower." Dianne groaned.

"Gia, where did you learn those spells?" Asked Cyborg.

I didn't want to answer, but I did anyway, "My mom's old spell book. She left it in my room."

"Why was that guy, Slade, here?" Asked Dianne.

"I don't know. Where did he show up first?" Nightwing looked around.

"My room. He snuck up on me when I was answering the door." I said.

Nightwing looked concerned. "I think I know what he was after." Then he walked back to the tower. "Come on, this place won't fix itself."


	6. Author's note

Not a chapter

I'm glad that so many people have viewed my story, but I'd love to be seeing more reviews. I think it's important to hear my readers' opinion of the story. I'll resume after a review or two, just to be sure I'm doing a good job and know I have somewhere to go with my story.


	7. Chapter 6

Life as a Titan part 1

I had finally regained my energy the next day, and healed my leg. The rest of the titans had already started repairing the tower.

I noticed how on edge Nightwing had been. He seemed to be keeping an extra close eye on me. I didn't really understand why he kept me at close range.

It is Thursday, September 21, 2021. The day after my fourteenth birthday which Slade, the bitch, had ruined. I was wearing a blue shirt and jeans with my hair in a military style French braid accompanied with the necklace from yesterday.

Right now, with the help of JT and Cyborg, I'm fixing the wall that I'd put Slade through. It had been fun, but holding the wall up while two brawny sweaty half robots was no fun.

Anyway, it's 10:32 AM, 1032 military time. The sun is just rising.

"Hey, about how much longer until you're done with the supports?" I asked.

"About five minutes after you **QUIT ASKING ME THAT**!" JT shouted. I jumped, nearly loosing concentration on holding the wall in place.

"There, that should do it. You can do the rest from here." Cyborg said.

I nodded and used my dark energy to do the shattered window and put the rest of my wall back together.

It took less than twenty seconds. In your face carpenters and interior decorators!

I slumped down on my bed, wondering why exactly Slade had chosen to attack me first? Was it a mistake in entrance as he suggested, or was it? Was he here to steal something, or kill a Titan for the brotherhood of evil.

I shuddered. That man had snuck up on me. Nobody, I mean nobody, sneaks up on me without me catching them in the act. My ears helped, and for some reason, I hadn't heard a heart beat when he was within that range of my hearing.

I went out to find Nightwing. He obviously knew a lot more about Slade than he was telling us, that anyone had told my team.

I'd done a report on the Slade attack on my computer. No heartbeat and super strength included. He'd obviously had strict training. I'd have to track him myself if I didn't get answers, because I had to send attack reports to the police. Now, I have a phobia of not knowing something. It's driving me nuts!

I walked down the hall into the main room, and found him talking to Don about something. Don had his arms crossed, and that is usually something worth eavesdropping on.

"Dad, I need to know who this Slade guy is and why he attacked the Tower. One of the many traits I picked up from you is the one that makes me need to know this stuff." Wow, I don't even ask. "No, I'm sorry Don but I just don't like to talk about my past." Time to walk in.

"About what past Nightwing?" I asked, eager to find out more, and making it obvious that I was spying.

"My past as Robin. He was an enemy of mine. I don't want to say anything else." Nightwing sighed.

"Well, we need to know more. This guy snuck up on me last night. Do you know how many people can manage to get within a foot of me without me hearing their heartbeat? Nobody alive, that's who." I said, putting emphasis on the words alive and me.

"Yeah, I've known her my whole life, and you literally can't pull something on her." Don added.

"It must have been a robotic replica." Nightwing said.

"Then why couldn't I hear the electricity in the systems? Everything makes a noise Nightwing. And this guy is either dead or made of pillows and fabric, which I highly doubt."

"Do you really want to know?" Nightwing asked, looking a hundred years older.

"Look, you may not have some very good memories of this guy, but if we're going to fight him we need to know everything we can." I said, taking the tone I'd put into my voice to be irritating away. Obviously, he had dealings with Slade in the past. If he didn't tell me anything, I'd just find out myself.

For a moment it looked like he was going to spill. Then he got his silence-I'm-a-hero look again. "I'd rather not say anything unless he attacks you again." Great, track him on my own it is then.

Nightwing didn't know I'd grabbed his shoe when I'd bitten his leg as a hammerhead shark.

"So, is there anything else we can do today? Crime rate's been pretty low recently." I asked. It seemed like ever since the titans showed up that nobody wanted to take their chances.

"Sorry, but I promised Don I'd take him on Patrol in Gotham today. I'll bring you out there tomorrow, how does that sound?" Putting on a mask of disappointment enhanced by my Martian shape shifting, I nodded.

"Tomorrow then." I walked away, celebrating on the inside.

That meant I'd be free to analyze the boot I'd snagged as a souvenir. I headed down the hall and waited until I'd entered my room to smile.

I went to the secret drawer in my room and pulled it out. Using some features on my computer, I took a scan to see where this particular Item had been. I dialed in my password, (No, I'm not going to tell you, that's a major security risk) and accessed the more military like function and scanned it.

My answer came. Most common place he'd been to was pier forty one. I smiled, and the alarm went off. My exploration would have to wait.

I ran out of my room and down to the main room. The computer had showed me that an old enemy, Cinderblock, was trying to start a prison break.

"It's Cinderblock at the prison, he's starting a jailbreak!" I shouted, motioning for them to follow. They hadn't even checked the computer yet.

I raced down the hallway, my team following. I was beginning to love this job. We headed out the doorway and took off, JT still hitching a ride with Dianne. I was in my new favorite form, the four eyed monster raven I'd discovered meditating last night.

This form was faster, bigger, more durable and easier to control than my other forms. I let out a loud cry as we descended. Shifting into my normal form and levitating, I gave orders. "Dianne, JT, round up the prisoners before they hit the streets! Kassie, give me a wall of starbolts in front of him, you attack from the front and I'll take him from behind!"

My team complied. Man, things would have been easier without the missing team member. Kassie and I plunged, me shifting into the monster raven and Kassie, as instructed, cut him off.

Cinderblock turned to shield himself and his eyes widened as I turned into a giant tiger and slashed my claws in his face. He staggered backwards into Kassie who sent another flurry of starbolts at him.

He didn't stand much of a chance until he grabbed Kassie by the ankle and threw her into me. We barely had time to recover before a metal pole smashed the ground we'd previously been standing on.

We tried to flank him again, but he smashed another wall down and forced us to chase him inside. Here, he had the environmental advantage. He took up too much space for us to flank him, and if Kassie tried to use her starbolts and missed, we could have a building fall on top of us, and Cinderblock wouldn't be harmed.

Luckily, I could use my dark energy and Kassie could use flight and super strength to get in his face.

We battled for five minutes which can seem like hours when you're the one fighting before plowing out the other side of the prison. I spotted something I could use, a long damaged metal pole.

Using the limit of my dark energy, I wrapped it around Cinderblock with the help of Kassie's strength and raced off to help JT and Dianne once we were sure he was not getting back up.

They had a serious mess on their hands. Dianne was trapped under a piece of building three times her size and JT wasn't helping her, instead he was shooting the enemies with his sonic cannon and missing a finger from the other! Unbelievable!

"JT, your finger!" I cried, shock in my face.

He looked, noticing it for the first time, and paling. "Yo! Who cut off my damn finger!"

I turned into a king cobra and tied myself around ten villains. JT shot them with his sonic laser arm, knocking them out instantly.

I moved on, turning into a lion and attacking the last man standing, or running away, that is. He screamed when he saw me and passed out on the ground. No joke.

"Dude, where you a lion monster or something?" Dianne asked, getting out from under the rubble.

"No, he's just a chicken." I turned into one and did the chicken dance.

Everyone laughed. We cleared out a few seconds later. I noticed that I couldn't do the raven monster when I had no dark energy power left. That meant it came from my mother's side of the family, lovely.

I filed a report on the attack as soon as I got home. Thursday, September 22, 2021. 11:00 AM, 1102 military time. I think. Cinderblock taken down after trying to initiate a jailbreak. Taken down with no difficulty and all prisoners but one returned to their cells. One successful escapee is known as Jackson Todd, aka most recent Red X, Jason Todd, aka Red hood's son.

I closed my laptop. Now it's time to head over to pier forty one. I grabbed my hoodie jacket and slipped out the window, closing it as I left. I flew to the water as a mosquito and turned into a large fish once I was in the water.

I've always loved swimming, but I'd never tried it like this before. It was clumsy, slow, and awkward, but not as much as my human form, if I actually had one, I really don't know what to call myself.

I swam directly there, not stopping once, and I exited the water as a seabird and shifted into s fly when I was still out of sight. I flew over to the warehouse labeled forty one and entered. It looked empty. That was until I spotted the trapdoor.

I shifted into human form and used my dark energy, recharged by now, to open it, not thinking for a moment that I was in over my head, this was my one chance. I heard an electrical bussing and kicked a piece of wood in, and it got electrocuted halfway in. I created a shield of dark energy around myself, not getting shocked once. I opened the door at the end of the hall.

This is too easy, shouldn't I have met some opposition by now? I mean, I'm in Slade's house, for the love of god. There were a lot of spinning gears and tech in here, a perfect environment for an ambush.

I'm on dangerous ground, and I kicked Slade's butt back at the tower, but my powers defiantly are not favored by the environment.

Hoping my presence hadn't noticed, I turned back to the door. Before I could get there, a voice said, "Leaving so soon?"

I jumped, hunting for a noise with my ears, a footstep, a breath, electricity, a heartbeat, but the gears were too loud. I backed to the door, and then I heard a breath and whirled, but not fast enough.

Slade clapped an inhibitor collar on my neck and electrocuted me.

I screamed, falling to the ground. He chuckled. "You thought I wasn't expecting you to come looking?" I growled at him, not something I liked doing in human form, it gives me a sore throat and I only do it when I'm really mad, like now, for instance.

I leapt off the ground and planted a solid kick to the hand with the controller for the collar. He dropped it and I dove, grabbing for it and got kicked really hard in the stomach. I felt a rib break as I rolled across the floor.

"You're a feisty little animal aren't you Gia?" He electrocuted me again. I should've waited like Nightwing had suggested. I should've listened and just stopped charging off for once in my life.

"What do you want Slade?" I snarled.

"Why, I want the same thing I wanted when I abducted Robin, or Nightwing, as he calls himself now. An apprentice." So that's why Nightwing hates this creep so much.

"What makes you think I'll do _**anything**_ for you?" I growled, putting in the primal touch that I'm now famous for.

"I wouldn't be so hasty little girl. Here I hold the controls to your freedom. My guess is that you'll do anything that allows you to keep your powers, and that keeps the pain at bay." He electrocuted me again, but I kept the screams down this time. I wasn't going to let him have that pleasure.

"Well you thought wrong, you homicidal lunatic! I'm the leader of the Teen Titans, and I fight criminals, not work with them!" I yelled angrily.

"Silly girl. You've had the job for a few days and you're only just fourteen." He may have been wearing a mask, but I could tell it was covering a smile.

"Well, go drop dead Slade! I can see why Nightwing hates you so much!" I got electrocuted again, but didn't scream. I would hold out, and I would never do anything for him. I will escape.

"Now, be a good girl and hold still." He tried to handcuff me, but to criminals, I will not 'be a god girl' and hold still, so I kicked him really hard in the head.

He snapped backwards a few steps, and hit the something on the collar control. This time, he electrocuted me until I was unconscious. I made the subconscious decision to kick this creep's butt on the way out.

I woke up two hours later, good thing my internal clock still works. I still have a broken rib which I'm at an inability to heal, and I'm pretty sure Slade didn't want me to heal it. I would anyway when I got the controls to my collar. Cause this thing is coming off.

I tried to get up, but my hands were cuffed behind my back and so were my legs. I managed to get my hands in front of me again and tried to pick the lock with a piece of metal on the floor, and it worked. I did the same with the legs, and then I worked on my shock collar, and to my surprise, I got it off. Shifting into a fly, I found Slade talking to a man named warp on a communicator. I stayed a fly out of his sightline and landed on a temporarily stationary gear. I listened to the conversation.

"Are you in position yet?" Asked Slade.

"No, and why did I agree to work with you again?" The man, apparently Warp, answered.

"Because, thirty years ago a boatload of money came to the docks and put a load of cash in Pier Forty one. And, at the exact same time, Robin is on patrol at the pier. It's a perfect time to get him old pall."

Slade has an old pall? That's something worth looking up. Wait a second, Warp is bringing Robin here? He must be a time Traveler. I knew I had to do something, but I can't change what happened thirty years ago, which means if I want to do anything, it would have to wait until Robin gets here.

As if on cue, there was a sound of fighting above me. I flew up and out, avoiding the electrical lasers which I can see now, and got up as the trapdoor opened. There was a weird looking French guy from the future with the legendary boy wonder unconscious and tied up behind him.

I flew past him and shifted into a Tyranasour. This would be fun. I Roared at him, Warp yelled in surprise and dropped Robin, redirecting his attention at me. Perfect. I snapped at him, and he leapt out of the way.

I shifted back into human form. "You know, coming here wasn't very bright for a guy who likes to travel through time, buster."

"Yes, but that means I'm even more prepared for this fight!" He started blasting, and I put up a shield of dark energy.

"Prepare yourself for this!" I smashed him into the floor, where he hopefully landed on Slade, and I hurried over to untie Robin, who was waking up.

"Ugh, Jeez, warp can hit hard!" He groaned.

"I bet I can hit harder. That's probably why he's drooling on Slade right now." I snickered, picking the last lock on Robin's cuffs.

"Hey, who are you anyway? At first I thought I heard Raven, but you're defiantly not Raven." He said, looking slightly confused.

"You know my mom?" I said. I didn't mean to discourage him, but I never really knew my parents.

"Raven's your mom? What year is this?!" He gasped. Okay, maybe I used the wrong wording for the guy.

"It's Thursday, September 22, 2021. According to Slade, Warp dragged you up from thirty years ago. Come on, we should get out before they wake up. I'll take you to the tower." I shifted into a Petrodactyl and motioned for him to hitch a ride.

"Wait, what do you mean according to Slade?" He asked, jumping on. I took off and told him as best I could that he tried to hold me captive. Which is hard when I'm a Petrodactyl.

We landed outside the tower and I opened the door with the hand scanner. Then I realized what time it was. "Oh, God, Nightwing's going to kill me, second day as his protégé and I've already gone behind his back!"

Robin tilted his head. "Nightwing? I remember Starfire having a journey to the future and meeting me as Nightwing."

"Well then, can you put in a few words in my defense if it comes down to it? I may be leader here but he can still kick my butt."

"You're leader of the titans?"

"Yeah, your group disbanded about sixteen years ago. They're just helping us set up."

"Oh. So do you know what happens?" Robin asked.

"Yeah, but I don't want to talk about what happened. It's in the past. The only remaining Titans are Nightwing Starfire and Cyborg." I replied, fingering the necklace Don had given me, he was definitely going to kick me for this.

"What happened to Raven and beast boy?"

"Raven, Beast Man, and Terra are dead. I'm an orphan, and so is my friend, Dianne."

"Oh."

This put a stop to the conversation. I not only told him that three of his friends are dead, but I also revealed why I'm such a determined as a fighter.

We entered the tower, and headed up to the main room. I heard a crash and a shout of, "Dude! Give it back!" from Dianne, and a snobby reply of "No way girlie. It's my turn!"

"I'm in the middle of a game you overgrown foil wrapper!"

I turned to Robin, who was rolling his eyes. "Some things never change."

"I should talk to them first; it's not every day we get a time traveler through here." I said, "In fact, we've never had someone from the past here."

"How many times have you fought Warp, then?"

"Just the once. He's pretty pathetic, huh." I continued walking. "Wait here for a moment. If you walk in with me, they'll think I can do illusions now too."

I walked into the main room. Tense. That was the best way to describe the mood when I walked in. Everything went quiet. Don scowled at me.

"Were where you?"

"I was…"

"Do you know how much you scared all of us when you just vanished?"

"I didn't just vanish, I left a note in my room, if you had the decency to check!"

"You went behind our backs!"

"No I didn't! I found decided not to drag you guys into this with me! I was trying to do a recon! Then Slade crept up on me! He only had me for an hour or two and I'm fine! So stop treating me like I can't handle myself!" I yelled, surprising even myself. I hardly ever yell.

Calming down, I added, "More to the point, there was another battle. A criminal called Warp who travels through time. He dragged Robin here and now he's at the docks drooling with a metal pole trapping him there on top of Slade."

"Woah, where is he?" Dianne asked.

"Right here." Robin said, stepping out of the shadows. This dramatic entrance startled everyone except for me. It seems we both can make an entrance.

Unfortunately, this happened as Nightwing walked in while in a heated conversation with Starfire and Cyborg, holding the note I'd left. He was mad. I'm goanna get fried.

He saw me standing next to his younger self and glaring at Don and froze. He looked surprised. "How… Care to tell me what's going on here?" He shouted, anger returning to his face, great. "First you just disappear without a word with a god dammed note saying you went after Slade when I specifically told you not to, and now you show up with, me as a kid!"

"Well, you wouldn't tell me anything and Slade is a risk to the city! I found out what he wants and got Robin out of all this. Hey, care to help me out here?" I directed the last sentence through my teeth at Robin.

"Well, um, she did kick Warp's butt and get me out of there, so I'd say that her timing was great!" He said, slowly, not putting it past his older self to yell at him too.

"Um Nightwing, isn't arguing with yourself a sign of bad mental health? You'd better agree with Robin on this one." JT said, tersely, with a look at me that clearly said, _we're goanna talk about this later_.

"Fine, I'll let this one slide. I just need to ask you two what happened. Come on." He motioned for me and Robin to follow him.

"I told you I was goanna get fried." I winced.

"Why did you go in the first place then?" Robin asked.

"Nightwing and Don went off to patrol in Gotham, leaving us to fight a prison break. Afterwards, I had nothing to do but hang around the tower and listen to them argue over video games while Starfire and Kassie decided to cook some weird alien food.

I decided to track Slade. He attacked the tower yesterday, on my freaking birthday. He was specifically targeting me. I wrote a note explaining where I'd gone on my laptop, but looks like he just found it. That's how I ended up I this situation.

"So, what's your name, anyway?" Robin asked.

"Gia Logan." I replied. "I don't have a superhero Identity yet. I only started a few weeks ago."

"Oh, well I would never have guessed it. You did really good out there." He was giving me the look! Oh god!

Please don't let him be getting gushy. "I'm fourteen as of yesterday." I said, raining on his parade.

"Oh." He didn't reveal his own age, but I read his mind to find out. He was sixteen, a full two years older than me it, disappointed him.

He seemed to pick up on what I was doing. "Um, are you reading my mind?"

"Yep, your thoughts are quite loud."

His face turned red. I smirked.

We followed Nightwing to a room I hadn't been to before. It looked like a hangar. Yep. It's a hangar. Confirmed by the T-ship.

"Okay, I need a full account on what happened. Don't leave anything out." Nightwing said.

"Okay, so this morning, when you told me not to go after Slade because he's too dangerous, it made me decide to do a quick recon. I'd snagged a piece of his shoe when we were fighting and I did a scan on it. The most common place he'd been was Pier forty one.

"The alarm went off because Cinderblock was attacking the prison after plasmas. He caused a prison break. Kassie and I took down plasmas while Dianne and JT failed at rounding up the escaped prisoners.

"JT lost a finger. When we got back I headed up to my room and jumped out the window, swam to pier forty one, and snuck in as a fly. There was a trapdoor, so I opened it with my dark energy and used it to get pats an electric fence.

"When I got into Slade's lair, it was too loud to hear him sneaking up on me until he had slapped an inhibitor collar on me and used it to knock me out for a few hours. I broke out about twenty seconds after I woke up and spied on Slade's conversation with warp about bringing Robin here to this future.

"There was fighting in the warehouse so I went up sent Warp through the floor and here we are."

That was my account of what happened with no gaps. Long and tedious I know, but it had to be said.

"Okay, you're end of the story. What happened after you got teleported here with Warp." Nightwing said, turning to Robin.

Weird, I know. Drilling himself for answers. "Well, he managed to push me through a portal and followed me through. Most of the fight was in the tunnel. He landed a lucky hit or two and when we got out he electrocuted me.

"I woke up with her untying me and getting me out of there with a huge hole in the floor where she'd put Warp, and gave me a ride as a pterodactyl. She asked me to help her out when you got to her and here we are."

Great, now he's quoting me.

"Well, in that case, Gia, never do that again but good job anyway." I smiled, relieved.

"Until we can get back to warp, Robin will have to hang around here." He didn't sound or look like he liked the concept.

He sent us out looking like he'd been hit by a truck and thrown up by a polar bear.

"Jeez, I scare myself!"

Now there's something I can agree with him on. I became suspicious though.

As soon as he was out of sight, I slipped into his mind as I filed the report onto my computer.

His thoughts were innocent vigilante thoughts, but something was off. Something major was missing, the emotion. Thoughts always have emotion.

Something was really wrong with Robin


	8. Chapter 7

Life as a Titan part 2

I couldn't tell what was wrong exactly, but before, he had emotion in his thoughts, and now they were all monotone. He started talking to Don, and the emotions came back. I decided to listen to their conversation.

This is what was being said:

Robin. "So, who are you?"

Don. "Name's Don" Suspicion. "So, Warp dragged you here?"

Robin. "Yeah, didn't Gia tell you that?" weird, he sounded like it was old information out loud, but in his head he was gleaning the info.

Don. "She did, and I also saw the way you looked at her. Back off buddy." Oh ho ho, this could get interesting. They're arguing about me. If one of them says anything bad about me I'll give them a migraine.

Robin. "What do you mean by that?" Offense in his head, question out loud. Let's see where this is going.

Don. "I mean the lovesick puppy dog look you gave her when you were walking off with her and Nightwing. I don't care who you are, but you can't have Gia. No matter what you'll end up being thirty years ago and she'll be here leading the Titans." How sweet, he cares. I'll wear the necklace and make a point of avoiding Robin.

Robin. "I do not look like a lovesick puppy dog!" Real offense. He likes me, and he resents me. I'm leader here and he's not even a Titan. Ah, I see where this is going. I'm going to have to split them up somehow.

Don. "Listen, I can tell you resent her, but that is no reason to throw mutiny at her like this!" _Hey Gia, I know you're listening. Good job for spying on the guy, he's untrustworthy._

Woah, I'd been detected. Time to back off a little. I'm being too obvious.

Robin. "Why do you people have to be so impossible?" I snickered as I felt waves of emotion coming off of him, and then when they walked away, the thoughts went back into monotone.

I had a physic conversation with Don.

_Don, something's up with Robin. I don't know if he's real or not. He only has emotions while talking to or around people. Thoughts always have emotion, and his don't._

_Yeah, I was watching him for a moment. He had the creepiest expression on his face. It was like he wasn't alive._

_We need to keep an eye on him; he's either fake or brainwashed, which I wouldn't put it past Slade to do either of those._

_Yeah, well, good night Gia. I'll take monitor duty tomorrow, since you'll be on patrol. _

_Okay Don, you're in charge tomorrow. I'll tell everybody._

I withdrew. I only eavesdrop if

A) I have to, or

B) I have no respect whatsoever for that person's privacy.

I scanned the tower for other suspicious behavior, and finding none, I slipped into bed. It's 11:00 PM by now.

I closed my eyes and used Dark energy to turn the lights out.

The next morning on Friday, September 23 2021, my alarm went off.

BEEP  
BEEP  
BEEP

I hit it and stretched. Then I hopped out of bed. I've always been an early riser. I took a shower and put on a black t-shirt and jeans, slipping the necklace on and trying to brush my rat's nest of hair. As soon as that was done, I tied it back in a ponytail and headed out to face the day.

As I left my room, I ran into Don who was storming down the hallway, in somewhat of a rage.

"Hey, Don, calm down and tell me what happened." I said, grabbing his arm.

"Robin happened! When you withdrew from his head he sleepwalked into my room like a zombie and attacked me! I hogtied him in the hall; we need to talk to Nightwing about this!" He said. I was not only picking up anger from him, but also concern.

"You go find Nightwing, I'll talk to him to see if he remembers anything and so he doesn't run off." I said. True, the guy had a way of getting under my skin, but I'm truthfully concerned for him. Slade could've had Warp do a number of things to Robin back there, things that also could've been done to me while I was unconscious.

I walked down to where Robin was tied up. His eyes were wide and surprised. I picked up emotion from him before I rounded the corner, so whatever happened must have worn off by now. He was shocked, confused, and was there some fear in his head?

I knelt next to him. "Robin, I heard about what happened last night. I need you to tell me what you remember."

"I don't know! One second I'm fighting warp and the next I'm hogtied in the tower thirty years later with some tamaranian guy drilling me as if I'm some sort of criminal!"

I gasped. Slade had done something to him. "Mind control, that explains it."

If his eyes get any wider they'll fall out. "That explains what?!"

"Last night, the way you were acting. All thoughts have emotion. Yours didn't unless you were talking to someone." I responded. "Maybe I can do something, I have Martian powers."

I accessed my powers, but this time was a lot gentler. I searched his mind until I found the dormant external source. I recognized the little drones because of the Slade S on them.

I took one out. The others weakened, but all started attacking me. I fended them off and carefully took them out.

I withdrew an hour later. Everyone had watched. "Um, what?" I asked.

"You just took out Slade's mind control. Last time you tried to go in someone's brain it didn't end so well. How did you get a grip on your powers?" JT asked.

That startled Robin. "Wait, are you saying that she could've fried my brain!?"

"Yeah, I did it to Madam Rouge, and then myself." I said, untying him. "But what would you rather have, mind control or temporary amnesia?"

"Anyway, we need to get our hands on Warp so we can send him back before something like this happens again." I said, heading down the hall to the main room where Nightwing was waiting.

Everyone followed. "Oh by the way, Don is in charge today." I said, following Nightwing out the door.

"Well, we're heading to Gotham, right?" I asked.

"Yes, but first, you need a superhero Identity." Nightwing said. "Don Is Moonshadow."

I smirked. "He never told me that. How does Cat Girl sound?"

I shifted into a tiger. This is the first animal transformation I ever made, so it has a ring to it.

He smiled at me. I shifted back. "Jeez, Don is funny. Moonshadow sounds like a haunted house!"

"Well, Cat Girl, you're in the game." Nightwing said. We were in town by now. I turned into a cat and ran to where he said to go. I shifted back.

"A telephone booth? Isn't that a bit Cliché, even for you?" I asked incredulously.

"Well, the telephone booth wasn't my Idea, but this is also a Zada tube, do you know what a Zada tube even is?" He asked at my uncomprehending look.

"No. I thought this was just a telephone booth. What is a Zada tube?"

"It's a transportation system. You enter one and it pretty much teleports you to another Zada tube." Nightwing explained. "I have to give you clearance first, so you'll have to wait a second."

I waited a good long few seconds before he was done. "Okay, I need you to go in and say your name as Cat girl so it recognizes you every time you enter."

I walked in. It did a weird scanning thing and then I did as Nightwing instructed. There was a flash and a tickling sensation before I came out in Gotham. I walked out of yet another telephone booth, so totally Cliché, and watched as Nightwing followed me.

"Well that was cool." I said.

Nightwing seemed well; I don't know how to put it. I followed him.

We got on a rooftop. It was about twenty seconds after landing on the third rooftop before spotting a bank robbery. "Nice town. So should I cut them off?"

"No, get behind them and chase them. I suggest as a cheetah. I'll distract them in the front while you take out their tires."

And we attacked. I flew down and shifted into a cheetah as instructed, accelerating as they spotted me. Nightwing threw something at the front of the car and they swerved, giving me the time I needed to pop their back tires and jump on top of the vehicle. I heard a yell from inside and the cocking of a machine gun and jumped off, shifting into human on the back of the truck.

Nightwing attacked, smashing the windshield in and taking out the driver. I opened the door. The man pointed a machine gun at my head so I jumped off the car, shifting into a housecat to dodge the bullets before knocking him out as a Tiger.

I hopped out of the car, dragging the guy with me. I dropped him and ran up front to help Nightwing in my human form this time. But to my disappointment, Nightwing had taken out all three of the guys in front.

"What took you so long with that guy?" Nightwing asked.

"He had a machine gun." I'm officially bummed out. I got a total of one out of four bad guys.

We heard sirens. "We'll let the police handle things from here. Let's go."

I turned into a bird and flew up while Nightwing used his grappling hook.

We stayed on top of the buildings and away from security cameras and traffic copters. Never be spotted, rule number two, right after listen to Nightwing.

He taught me how to appear from the shadows and disappear right back into them. It was cool.

He only ever called me Cat Girl, but that's to be expected as we're on duty. Rule number three; don't ever tell anyone your secret Identity. Rule number four, don't let the enemy see your face. I'm learning already.

We got into a quick fight with a psychopath in a hostage crisis, and I got to land the final blow. We vanished into the shadows afterwards and walked away. Man, this city has some serious law enforcement problems!

We stayed silent unless Nightwing was giving me instructions. Soon, I had a day on patrol and training nailed into my head. Lesson number four was okay with me too, since my dark energy could keep me awake for long periods of time, was that heroes don't rest, because evil won't either. As soon as it got dark, the crime rate shot up considerably.

We had a run in with two prison breaks, five jewelry store robberies, an assassination attempt against an old Bruce Wayne,( and I mean really old, he was what a hundred by now? ) and a few explosions.

I wasn't sure how long I could keep this up. I was definitely getting more bad guys, but about only a fourth of what Nightwing was getting.

We stayed out until Midnight, when I took a Zada tube back to Jump city, but Nightwing stayed behind. Said he had an old friend to talk check up on.

I flew the rest of the way back to the Titans Tower.

When I got up to the main room, everyone seemed to be getting along just fine except for Moonshadow and Robin, big surprise. The two smiled when I walked in.

"Hey guys! So how was today? Kick any butt?" I asked, panting from the long day.

"No, it was completely uneventful. Other than a guy trying to steal something from a DVD store, it was boring. How was your day?"

"Oh, Nightwing and I took out a bank robbery, a psychopath trying to blow up a building full of hostages, two prison breaks, five jewelry store robberies, an assassination attempt against Bruce Wayne, and a few bombs. I feel like I'm going to pass out."

They all stared at me. "Dude, Gotham sounds rough." Dianne commented.

"So, where's Nightwing?" asked Don.

"He stayed back to check up on somebody he knows. Didn't tell me who." I replied.

"So, an assassination attempt on Bruce Wayne, huh." Robin said, looking concerned. I'll find out more about that later.

"Yep. Don't worry Robin, we took care of the assassin." I said to calm the look of concern everyone had noticed by now.

"Well, I'm going to go catch some Zs, it's past midnight." I yawned.

"Yeah, we should all turn in for the night." Don said.

Dianne walked out with JT, Robin headed down to his old room, and Kassie flew off. I went to get a report from Don as we walked away.

"So, how'd it go? Anything abnormal about the team that I don't already know about, Moonshadow?" I asked, using his superhero name.

"So, Nightwing told you about that, huh? Well, do you have one?" He asked.

"Cat Girl. My first transformation was a Tiger, so it fit."

"So, Cat Girl, the only abnormal thing was Robin. He isn't a zombie anymore, but I think he's jealous of your position as leader here. Told me leaders shouldn't just vanish."

"But I didn't and I made you temporary leader, so I'm on top of things. I think of you as my second in command for now. You know, until things get more stable. So, if something happens and I'm not available you're in charge." I said.

He looked slightly bummed out, as if that wasn't what he was hoping to hear. "Well, goodnight Gia." He said.

"Good night." I closed the door.

My heart was pounding. I don't know how to act around Don, he's a puzzle with pieces I just can't fit together. I headed over to my bed and pulled the covers over me.

I let the world drift into darkness, and remembered to set my alarm clock and turn off the lights in my room with dark energy.

It felt like five minutes before my alarm went off again, and I made a mental note to meditate later.

I went through my morning routine, wearing a blue v neck shirt and jeans. I had an agenda today. I needed a Cat Girl outfit, I had to report to the training room for training, meditation was high on the list, and fighting crime was always a priority. I also needed to learn more spells from mom's spell book.

I looked through the pages until I found advanced healing techniques. I read to the point of memorization before I headed out. My sixth sense was saying I'd need it today. That scared me.

I headed into the main room and ate a quick breakfast. Wow, I hadn't realized how long it had been since the last time I'd eaten. About four days on only dark energy keeping me from starving and dying of thirst. Robin walked in next.

"Hey Gia. Nightwing's expecting you down in the training room." I gulped and looked at the clock. Oops!

"Oh, thanks for the heads up!" I called as I dashed past him.

I ran to the training room to find Don and Nightwing already training.

Don was using some new techniques Nightwing had been teaching him. I headed over to the sidelines for a moment before taking out the punching bag. Okay, I might have cheated with my powers a bit, but that's what they're here for right?

There was a loud outcry from Don as Nightwing flipped him onto his back and stepped on him. "You might be my kid, but that doesn't mean I'm going to go easy on you."

Don hopped up as the foot was removed. "Good, I want to know that when I beat you that you were doing your best."

He noticed me as the fluff from the punching bag floated down on them. "Hey CG, I didn't notice you there." Don sneezed.

"Well, do I get a shot at this?" I asked.

"Yeah, Don, head over to the weights and practice your super strength. Gia, in the sparring circle." Nightwing instructed.

I took up a fighting stance. "Okay, you've been doing pretty good on your own, but I'm your mentor, so it's my responsibility to show you where you can improve. First of all," He said, eying me, "You need to work on your fighting stance. Instead of planting yourself like that, you should put a foot behind you and be ready to jump. Use the foot in front to move. Like this."

He adjusted my stance. "Now, I'm going to attack you. You need to get me out of the circle this time." He charged at me and I took a step forwards and flipped over his head, sliding back into position and leaping as he took a swing.

"That's it, use your smaller size!" He instructed. I managed to get him between the shoulder blades and the chin before knocking him near the edge, and then he grabbed me by the foot and sent me rolling out.

I got off the ground and headed back into the circle. Nightwing smiled. "Almost got me that time."

There was a loud clatter as Don dropped the two hundred pound weight. "You did? Come on, let me in on your secret, please!" He was joking and everyone knew it.

"You just have to start out right."

I prepared to fight again. Nightwing gave me more instructions. "Try not to use your legs as much, it leaves you mote open to those attacks."

I nodded and we got into fighting stance again. Nightwing jumped, I rolled to his left knowing he's right handed and flipped over to his right when he spun around. I aimed a solid punch as he turned and he blocked, but I ducked under his next blow and took his feet out from under him.

He wasn't done though. He flipped off of his back and made me come to him. I still had some more tricks up my sleeve. He tried to punch and I ducked left. He kicked and I jumped. I landed blows in between, forcing him to back up in order to defend himself. I was so close. One more step and he's over and I win!

But he caught on and went right. I had planned my next blow to send him over, but I stumbled and he pushed me off balance.

"Jeez, I was so close!" I muttered. I was yet again on the floor. I got up and prepared to try again.

At that second, Kassie burst through the door looking quite scared. "Mom's having the baby!" We froze. Starfire was going into labor. I had a scary feeling something was wrong, and I'd have to use my healing abilities.

"I just studied some advanced medical techniques. I might be able to help her through." Wow, my life has changed. One day I'm in school being bullied by a bunch of idiots and now I'm about to help a Tamaranian superhero give birth.

I dashed up to the infirmary after Kassie, the others at my heels. I was really scared. What if something goes wrong? I can't even think about someone else dying right now, especially when I'm the only person with medical knowledge here.

If someone attacks now, It's all over.

We got in as Starfire was writhing. (If you're squeamish you might not want to read this, just a heads up.) There was blood on the bed.

Cyborg was angrily jamming buttons in on the med board. "Ahg, work you damned machine! All medical systems are malfunctioning! I can give her a mild painkiller but I don't know what to do from here! Does anyone know about healing?"

I ground my teeth and got over the sight of blood. I had to do this. "I do, my mom has some spell books on healing. I may be able to do something but no promises. I need some room, Cyborg, see if you can fix those okay. I need everyone else to leave so I can focus!"

I heard everyone else leave as I dashed over to Starfire. I don't want to get into details about what happened, but there was a lot of blood and screaming and me getting shot at by starbolts before med systems got back online and the baby was born.

"I'll go tell the others they can come in now." I said. This was creepy for me. I'm Miss Nurse now.

I opened the door and got trampled by the rush of titans coming in.

I walked back after them, a new bruise or two appearing on me. Now I have to heal myself.

They were watching Nightwing and Starfire with the new family member.

"It's a girl!" Gasped Starfire, Cradling the baby in her arms.

Nightwing's tough composition had melted. Don and Kassie were standing on either side of the bed. I motioned for the others to leave. "Come on, this is their moment." Robin, JT, Dianne, Cyborg and I left the room, letting the door close behind the family.

"I have to give it to you that you did a good job Gia." Said Cyborg. "I definitely thought you were out of the game when Starfire started blasting at you."

"I have dark energy. She didn't touch me. I'm heading down to take a shower now." I walked away.

I had a stupid fuzzy feeling after helping out there. I didn't get why, so I silenced it. I took my shower and changed into something not covered in blood and torn up. The other cloths went in the trash. Right now I'm wearing a black v neck shirt and jeans. Did I mention I always wear jeans? It's my fashion statement. I braided my hair military style and wore a pair of grey and white tennis shoes. I slipped on a black windbreaker over the rest of my outfit. I like black cloths.

I headed to the main room where everyone was talking about the new Grayson.

"I wonder what her name will be?" asked Dianne.

"I don't know, maybe something Tamaranian this time. Did you see that neon orange skin?" Said JT.

I walked over to the group. "I guess we'll have to wait and find out. Man, remind me never to volunteer for that again, there was a lot of starbolts, tons of really high pitched screaming and even more blood. Why is Tamaranian blood pink?"

"I don't know. Good job out there misses emergency girl. Hey, has anybody seen Robin?" Asked Cyborg.

"I did this morning. He reminded me about training today." I said.

"Huh. He just vanished didn't he?"

"I'll find him if he's in my telepathic range." I said. I searched for his mind and found it. "He's in his room, doesn't know anything happened."

We all rolled our eyes and made sour comments.

"Well, I have some things to do, like track down Warp. He's the only one who can send Mr. Oblivious back to his own time." I smiled as Cyborg took control of the rest.

I left the tower and turned into an eagle. I circled over the pier several times before landing and turning into a fly. I looked around. Warp is gone. So is Slade. I went into the hole in the floor. The police had shut the place down. Next thing to do is to hack police files and find out where he is and what happened to his tech.

I flew back to the tower. Maybe Cyborg could help the situation a bit.

I landed on the entrance and walked back to the main room. Don and Kassie had left their parents in the infirmary.

I walked in. Don smiled as he saw me. "Hey Gia!"

"Oh, hi! How's it going?" I asked.

"Mom and Dad named her, the baby. Her name is Mariandir, it's a Tamaranian name. It translates to Sunfire." He said.

I smiled. Mariandir, Sunfire, it's so similar to Koriandir, Starfire. "Good. I was hoping they'd come up with one soon. Hey, where'd Cyborg go? I need to talk to him about the Warp situation. It's time we got on top of that."

"He's already on top of that. Last thing I checked he was heading to the police to get his transporter so Robin, Aka Mr. Oblivious, as Cyborg said you called him, can head back home."

I nodded.

The alarm went off, and we checked who was attacking. It was plasmas.

"Ready to fight?" I asked.

"Always."


	9. Chapter 8

Life as a Titan part 3

We arrived at the scene of Plasmas's rampage in a nuclear facility outside of town. The spider eyed creep was even uglier than I thought possible, and getting bigger and uglier by the second.

The reason, he was eating boatloads, and I mean this literally, of toxic waste! "Ugh, Plasmas, I don't know what's more disgusting, the way you look, or what you eat!" Announcing my team's presence.

This is starting to get fun. I get to give all the orders, we all get to piss off bad guys, and then we beat 'em up and send them to prison.

Plasmas let out a shriek not unlike the sound an angry pig makes and started shooting goo at us. We leapt, or flew, in the case of the two tamaranians, to the side.

Don, aka Moonshadow, his super hero ID, put a giant hole in Plasmas's stomach, which grew right back. He and Kassie kept pummeling him that way, until plasmas got really pissed and shot goop at us from all sides. The two were hit, and they crashed on the wall.

Dianne had taken up her mother's superhero Identity as Terra, and was trying to crush Plasmas with slabs of rock. Plasmas seemed to have other Ideas.

He divided into several monsters, each attacking my team. Robin managed to dodge one.

Did I mention we didn't zap Robin back yet? For now, he's part of my team, as much as my right hand man Don hates it.

Anyway, back to the point. I used my dark energy to blast one of his pimple eyes, causing a squeal from my monster as it went down. I didn't spot the one extra until it jumped on me.

Robin's bow staff came down into the creature's eye, causing it to deteriorate into goop. Robin helped me up and we smiled at each other, which earned a glare from Don.

"Aim for the center eyes! They're weak there!" I shouted to my struggling team. Don took out the one following him and Kassie, who had remarkably bad aim today, missed the monster completely.

I turned into a porcupine and threw myself at it, poking the eye out. It followed the others' example and deteriorated.

JT blasted his as Dianne impaled hers with spikes from underneath it. The last monster, JT's, turned into a bone skinny unshaved man in a Speedo. "Eww, I really didn't need to see that!" Said Dianne with a grimace.

The police came moments after we'd taken him down. As leader, I had to give an account on what happened to the police while everybody else simply went home.

After about an hour of this and damage control, I went home. Terra, (Dianne, I'm going to start calling people by their superhero names except Don.) JT and Robin were playing video games while Kassie, no superhero ID yet headed up to the infirmary to talk to her parents.

I walked up to Don. He smiled as I came over. He wanted to ask me something. I can read minds sometimes.

I already knew the answer, It's past midnight. "Happy birthday Don." I said.

He seemed relieved that I remembered. I motioned for him to follow me. "Come on, I got you a present!" He followed me with a nod.

I walked into the hallway with him and drew out a small box. "It might not look like much, but it's all I could afford, as you know I'm kind of low on cash."

He opened it. I expected for him to be disappointed, but he wasn't. Instead, he smiled.

"It's very thoughtful. Thanks." He drew out the gift, a Tamaranian style watch and a picture of the gang before we were the Titans. It was in a painted silver and deep blue frame, and it showed us posing all covered in mud from the hike on one of our camping trips in the mountains outside of Jump.

We were all wearing a trademark outfit, me in my old green t shirt back when I wore green and blue hiking shorts with once white tennis shoes, Dianne wearing her light brown shirt and jean shorts, JT wearing long gloves to cover his robotic appendage and wearing a mud covered black shirt and cargo pants. Don was wearing a blue t shirt with the catch phrase 'Elevators are for wimps' on it from the stair climb and khaki pants while Kassie wore a bright pink shirt and purple shorts.

It was a memory. That was the point of the gift, never forget who we are and who we used to be.

"That reminds me, um, Gia, would you like to go out with me?" He asked nervously.

I was shocked and surprised. This wasn't what I was expecting.

He read my face and looked disappointed, but I gave it to him.

"Of course!" I smiled, catching him off guard for a moment. I felt like the sun was rising in me after a very long night. A night that had started years ago.

"Where should we go?" I asked.

"How about the pier? I heard they have a new roller coaster." We joined hands and headed out to the main room, where everyone was going about what they were doing.

When Robin saw us chatting with hand held, however, he dropped the controller. The other two paused the game to look.

"Woah." Dianne said.

Robin looked like he'd been hit by a truck several times.

JT looked like he wanted to post a picture of us on facebook and title it the lovebirds of the titans.

I felt awkward. Robin got up and stormed away, and JT pulled out a camera. I blew it up with my dark energy. Dianne recovered from the initial shock. "So, are you two going out now?" She asked.

"Well, I did ask her out and she said yes, so that kind of counts, right?" Don said.

"Of course it counts." I said. Weird, why am I going all mushy on this guy?

He's cute.

He's a good fighter

I know him very well already

We've got each other's backs

Yikes, I've got a list of reasons for that now. I'm so hormonally influenced.

JT had gotten up and was slightly angry. "Dude, that camera was new!" I shrugged, feeling guilt and letting it show.

I slowly let go of his hand. "It's after midnight; I need to get some rest." I stood up and headed to my room. I set my alarm clock and turned off the light, feeling like I was already dreaming, and closed my eyes.

I didn't wake up to the sound of my alarm clock this morning. Instead, I heard a soft knock at the door. It is Sunday, September 25, 2021. I slipped on some fresh cloths and answered.

Don was outside. "Hey Gia, just wanted to ask if we could head out to the pier early, so we can catch the sunrise." He said.

"Sure. Just give me a chance to clean up, okay; I'll be out in a minute." I slid back into the room, heart fluttering.

I did a quick shower and blow dried my hair. I slipped on my best blue violet shirt and a pair of jeans that hadn't been torn up. I placed the necklace over the outfit and left my hair down.

I left the room a moment later and found him waiting. We headed out the hall and to the roof and took off. I flew with a levitation spell and he did it with his Tamaranian powers which he'd gotten under control.

We landed on the end of the pier and watched as the sun rose, wisps of pink and orange clouds drifted slowly across the horizon. The air smelled sweat by the ocean, unlike the usual scent of motor oil and smoke from the crime going on. The sound of morning birds crossed the bay. The soft whisper of the waves and the cool of the sea spray created a moment, and I intended to enjoy every second of it.

Unfortunately for us, we don't get moments that last. You should know by now that a criminal will not stop and wait for two teens enjoying life to blow up the pier.

And that's exactly what happened. One moment we were sitting on the end of the pier hand in hand enjoying a romantic moment on out first date, and then the entire pier was enveloped in a ball of flames. Don and I were separated, rocketing into the ocean before either of us could regain our composure.

A pair of claws grabbed us and tossed us into cages. The same thing happened to anyone else enjoying a lovely sunrise at the pier.

I tried to blast my way out, transform into something, but I couldn't. In fact, my hair was brown and my skin had turned a pale milky white color.

I realized my abnormal skin and hair came from my powers. This cage must be restricting them. I tried to knock out one of the bars with a strong kick, and it didn't even vibrate afterwards.

I saw Don trying to push two of the bars apart with super strength to no effect. We were all loaded into some weird space craft which rocketed away from the water. I looked through the bars to see who else was there and to my dismay saw Nightwing Starfire and Sunfire, aka Mariandir or Mari.

Somehow, they'd been there too. I snarled and pounded at the bars with a renewed fury. They'd not only taken my mentor and a woman who'd just given birth, but they'd kidnapped a baby!

A low hissing sound came from outside my cage. "I'm afraid you'll find that tactic ineffective little girl."

I whirled to face the owner of the voice, one of my captors. He was a blue lizard type of alien. "Wanna bet! Hyah!" I grabbed him by the throat and punched him hard in the nose, hearing a satisfactory snap as I broke his nose.

There was a loud anguished hissing cry as he recoiled. "You'll regret that!" He snarled, hitting some sort of detonator. The entire cage was electrified. I cried out and fell, gasping as he quit electrocuting me.

The cage is electrified. Should've seen that coming. I think Nightwing recognized me from

The brash behavior

The voice

The punch in the face

And the sarcastic remarks and arrogance.

The alien stormed away.

"Gia?" He gasped. I nodded.

"The anomalies are caused by my powers. Without them I look normal." I told him.

I heard a soft hiss coming from the other room. I felt my ears, still pointy. I still have my super senses.

"These new slaves will do nicely." WTH!? I'm no slave! "Yes, they will have to be broken first." I'm putting some emphasis on the accent. They hold their Ss, Ls, Ws, Rs, and Fs long. So, just imagine someone talking with a lisp.

"I have spotted a couple who won't need breaking. The Little ones, about seven or eight, are ready to be sold." There was a delighted hiss in the background.

Great, just great. Aliens took me prisoner and are going to sell me as a slave without a fight. Or so they thought. The second I'm out of this cage I'm goanna bust some heads!

I need to get out. Did I ever tell you I'm claustrophobic? It comes from the animal powers. Some other fears are being restricted and doctors. (Don't say it)

I listened further. "I think we got some of the Titans. The girl that broke Gor's nose, for example. Facial recognition says she's Cat Girl." Well, they must have seen me on patrol. Shit, I knew I needed a mask.

But why didn't Nightwing see them?

"Moonshadow is the one with the black spiked hair and pale skin. And Nightwing is the one we caught with the woman and child."

How, the Zada tubes! They hacked the Zada tubes! That must be how they know who we are! The Zada tubes had facial and voice recognition. Our Identities are in them!

"They will all be sent to slave processing. As well as anyone else who is not clear on the chain of command. The woman and baby will need to be separated as soon as possible. The child will be raised in our care, and as soon as she is old enough to work, she will." Holy _ (Insert your own swear word there,) these creeps are evil!

I growled a deep throaty growl, laying my ears back. I gave Nightwing the message through hand signals behind my back. He was furious.

I realized that my psychic abilities had been left untouched. I sent decided to link everyone in the titans up. I used my Martian powers and created a psychic link between us.

_Guess what? I still have my enhanced senses and Martian telepathy!_-Me

_Cool. So how does that help us?_-Don

_It gives us the ability to communicate without alerting these guys. They're slavers, and we're definitely their main concern and under surveillance._-Me

_Okay, How do we get out?_-Nightwing

_I don't know. This is a giant inhibitor collar. Which means any undisplayed abilities have been left alone. For example my telepathy and super senses. They hacked the zada tubes to get our IDs, so no calling eachother by our regular names. I'm Cat Girl, Don is Moonshadow, Nightwing is Nightwing, and Kori and Mari are Starfire and Sunfire._-Me

_Okay, got it. Can you still fry brains?_-Nightwing

_Not without alerting them to my Martian abilities._-Me

_Our captors are the same race of alien as the people trying to enslave me in the citadel when the Teen Titans were formed. _- Starfire

_So now what? I saw you get electrocuted. We fight back and all we get is that!_ – Don.

_They have to take us out of the cages eventually, so when they do, we bust heads. I'm cutting the psychic link. Shoot me a thought when you need to talk. _- Me

I cut the psychic link and listened for the thoughts of everyone else in custody.

I found several angry and confused and scared thoughts, but one person was working on a way out. I listened in.

_Hmm, It looks like titanium alloy stretched in a solid mesh over more titanium and diamond poles, and some inhibition tech in it, so if I just stick this there and move some stuff around, I'm home free!_

_How do you break out, and who are you first of all. I'm telepathic, so you only have to think your answers. In fact, don't tell anyone, or you'll blow my cover. _– Me

_Um, my name's Feral. And who are you exactly? _– Feral

_Cat Girl. How do you get this thing to stop working?_ – Me

_Um, do you have a small piece of metal, like a lock pick?_ –Feral

_Yeah, I carry one around. _– Me

_Good. Try inconspicuously putting it into the bars in your cell. _– Feral

_Hold on, I have some friends to link up to and tell about this. _– Me

_Wait, what do you mean by that?_ – Feral

_I'm the leader of the Teen Titans. _– Me

_Oh. I'll wait. _– Feral.

I linked up the others.

_Can everybody hear me?_ –Me.

_Yeah. _– Don.

_I hear you loud and clear. _–Nightwing.

_I am here. _– Starfire.

_Still hearing you._ – Feral.

_Who is that?_ – Don

_Feral, I know how to get out of the cages. _– Feral

_Okay, can you repeat what you just told me? _– Me.

I sat down and placed my hand on the ground, holding my lock pick which I'd picked up yesterday. Listening to hi filling in the others.

Don leaned against the bars of his cell, a finger resting on it.

Starfire sat down and let one hand hold the baby while the other one touched the floor.

Nightwing all out punched the bars, getting electrocuted, and staying on the ground.

_Okay, now start moving it around slowly so they can't see it in a wedge motion. As soon as you feel a wire connect with the lock pick, crush it or move it. That should disable the inhibitor tech. _– Feral.

I did as instructed, putting a bored look on my face. I wriggled it around, looking like I was simply tapping my finger.

Don didn't look like he was moving, but I heard the click as he cut a wire.

Starfire was doing it under Mariandir's blanket wrap. Nightwing was looking around as if for an escape route while he cut a wire.

I felt something connect with my lock pick. I cut it instantly, feeling my powers return, but staying the same with my shape shifting powers. I heard Starfire's wire clicked, and I sent out a telepathic signal.

_Okay, so now what?_ – Me

_We use our powers to bust out. They haven't left the atmosphere yet, still looking for more captives. _– Feral.

_You have powers? _– Me

_Yeah, I'll tell you later. _– Feral.

_Okay, come out blasting NOW!_ – Me

I smashed the cage with dark energy while the others used their powers and I cut open Nightwing's cage.

Alarms went off. I shattered windows and other cages. I saw a weird glowing blue light explode from across the room. I located the ship's controls and made an abandon ship sequence start with my dark energy.

Pods erupted around us and everyone was shot into the Pacific ocean right off the coast of Hawaii.

I left the aliens one last surprise as I sent them back up with a renewed energy and sent the ship out of orbit and into space and starting the self destruct sequence at the same time.

My powers rule.

I surfaced next to Don, who smiled at me. "Hell of a first date huh!" He laughed.

I laughed with him as everyone else surfaced in the water and swam to shore. I started to swim back but my arm was grabbed by Don.

"I'm sorry that this ended badly. How about a day at the beach instead?" He asked.

"Well, we have a responsibility in jump city, heroes don't go on vacation like this, we should go and…" I trailed off with a quick gasp as he kissed me.

My brain blanked out completely. It felt right. I returned it, and of course, you know our luck, moments like this never last.

"So am I interrupting something?" Feral piped up besides us, and we leapt apart, blushing.

"No, so, you're Feral, huh?" I asked.

"Yep. You must be Cat Girl and what's his name."

Feral looked the name. he had wily brown and black hair with blonde sun streaks and tan skin. His eyes were a wild untamed green and looked like an explosion of activity was behind them.

"So, you have powers?" I asked, treading water back to shore.

"Yep. I think I got them from one of my parents, but, I'm an orphan and never knew my parents. I had to name myself. How lame is that?" He exclaimed.

I rolled my eyes and turned myself into a dolphin and swam to shore. To my surprise, so did Feral!

"You turn into animals too?"

"Yeah, and I can also do this weird dark energy thing." An orb of energy identical to the ones I create appeared around his hand. I wordlessly raised mine and did the same.

I studied him a bit closer now, and noticed that his skin wasn't tan, it was slightly green, and his black streaks were actually a faded purple. The weirdest part was the pointy ears.

"Are you two related?" asked Don.

"I don't know." The two of us said.


	10. Chapter 9

Life as a Titan part 5

We circled each other. Feral and I had several physical traits in common. I shifted into a blue tiger and he shifted into a silver one. I growled at him and he growled right back. Brave.

We shifted back to human when Nightwing and Starfire showed up. They saw us eyeing each other and comparing powers and froze.

"Are you two related?" Asked Nightwing.

"I don't know, could be or couldn't be, beats me. He says he's an orphan, but I've never had any siblings." I said.

I walked over to Nightwing. Don fallowed.

"So, can I come with you guys, or am I still on my own?" Asked Feral.

"Sure." I said. That surprised me. I don't like this guy or trust him, but there's a connection here that I need to figure out.

Apparently, it surprised everyone else too. They looked at me in surprise, and Nightwing shot me a thought.

_Why?_- Nightwing.

_I just want to find out if what the connection is, there's something weird going on here._ – Me.

_So, it's not because you want me to come._ –Feral.

_Who invited you? _– Me

_I did._ – Feral.

Figures, I cut the link. If he has every other power in common with me, why shouldn't he have telepathy?

"So, how far to the nearest Zada tube?" I asked.

"A mile away on Second Street in the alley you'll see a telephone booth, wait for us there." Nightwing said, jogging away.

I turned into a raven and took off, followed by the mysterious Feral, Don, and Starfire. I turned into a petrodacyl and grabbed Nightwing and flew him to the zada tube before anyone else got there.

I stepped inside and dialed in for Jump city. I felt a weird ticklish sensation as it recognized me and sent me to Jump city.

"We've got to get one of those in the Tower." I muttered to myself as Moonshadow(Don) Stepped out.

"Yeah, tell me about it. Nightwing's giving Feral and Starfire clearance." I nodded and turned into a bird and flew back to the tower, Don Right next to me. We landed and entered the tower on the roof.

"Come on, the team's probably puking up their stress by now." I laughed.

We entered the main room to find Cyborg Pacing the floor while the rest of the titans calculated where the next strike would be.

"Okay, they got the Pier and the Eifel Tower, so the next lace would be…"

"Nowhere, be blew up the ship and the former hostages are swimming at a beach in Hawaii." I said.

"You left out the part about finding your long lost brother or something." Don said.

Their jaws hit the floor as Feral landed next to me with Starfire and Sunfire. Nightwing came out the other door.

"Are you two…" Cyborg started.

I cut in quickly, "Don't say it, you think we're related like they do and everyone else does."

"Well, there's a way to find out." Said Cyborg, slapping on some doctor's gloves.

We both bolted at the same time. I shot through the hall while Feral hid on the ceiling. I came back after seeing his reaction.

"Sure, if he's willing." I said. I was screaming in horror on the inside, but wouldn't let it show.

Eager to prove he wasn't a chicken, Feral jumped down. "I don't see why not." He glared at me. Neither of us wants to be siblings, in fact, it looks like we agree we'd never even met.

He shrugged. We headed to the infirmary where a blood sample was taken from the two of us. It was confirmed, to our dread, that we were not only siblings, but twins!

I shifted into a lioness while he turned into a wolf. We growled at each other, waiting for one of us to attack. It's an animal thing.

Don walked between us. "Okay, you've made it very clear that you hate each other and don't want to work together, so if you're going to butt heads 24-7, maybe you should leave, Feral. There's another Titans group forming in Silver city, maybe you should go there."

We shifted back, accepting each other. Like I said, it's a confusing animal thing. "So, Feral, wanna join the titans?"

Don was so confused.

He nodded. "Sure, Cat Girl. So, got any digs left?" I nodded, showing him to the one extra room.

I picked up a thought from Don. _WTH?_

We had one extra room left in the tower, where the first Terra's room had been cleared out. Most of what was kept was stored in Dianne, the newest Terra's room. So I used some dark energy to change the engraving on the door to Feral.

By now, every Titan knew about this. Nightwing approached me an hour later.

"I thought you two hated each other." He said.

"It's an animal thing that got into our DNA. If we hadn't been related, we'd still hate each other. We accepted each other. I think he's trustworthy."

In fact, I know he's trustworthy. I red minds, for those of you who just started reading here.

Today is the same as last chapter, so you might want to check there. I filed a report on the alien attack, and then put together my Cat Girl outfit.

It is a midnight blue long sleeve shirt and long leggings covered by a short skin tight skirt and a belt like my mother's of the same color. There was some lavender lining and some black gloves. On my feet I had some black and lavender shoes. I had a black mask that had cat ears. The eyes are covered by a thin light blue film. The mask only exposed my mouth and nose. It let my hair flow out at the back. I had a black and blue cape with a fake claw mark on the back. I put it on and looked at myself in the mirror.

Not bad.

Don walked in. He jumped when he saw me. "Woah, nice outfit! This must be your Cat girl disguise!" He said.

I nodded. "I needed one. I did an enchantment on it so it stays intact on my human form when I do transformations, watch!" I turned into a bird. The outfit vanished and when I turned into a human it appeared completely intact.

"Nice! I've been working in mine too, Nightwing says we should start wearing the disguise on missions. That way we don't have reporters and Paparazzis swarming all the time." Don said.

"Well, I'm going to start wearing these around the tower too. Eventually that way it'll sink in that I'm Cat Girl, not Gia, when I'm on duty like this." I said.

He nodded. "Good Idea."

He walked away. The door closed behind him. I went over to my closet and found an alastic band to pull my hair back with. Can't have it in my face.

I left my room and scared the crap out of JT, who was in front of me.

"Agh! Who are… Gia?" He looked surprised.

"I'm Cat girl now." I said. He clued in.

"Oh. That's your hero outfit, huh. I'll go tell everyone so they don't attack you on sight." He darted off. I walked to the main room.

Feral spotted me first. "Hi Cat Girl." He said. Everyone else looked my way. "It's your heroine name right?" He asked.

Wow, having a twin brother that reads minds is helpful. Everyone got the message fast.

"So, you have a heroine Identity and costume now, you're the second one!" Said Terra, aka Dianne. I think you get it.

She'd taken up her mom's old uniform and had been wearing it all the time.

"So, Cat Girl, do you have a normal name?" asked Feral.

I'd blocked that from him mentally. It's fun leaving someone in the dark, and the team knew that.

"Not for you. And I know Feral isn't your real name. You need to put up some mental barriers up." I said. His face turned pink. Robin looked me up and down.

"I like it. You look like a real heroine now." Nightwing smiled as he walked in. "You finally found time to do it."

I flipped onto the couch. I smiled as Don walked in. He looked like an avenging angel. All black cloths and a domino mask. He left his hair as is and had black shoes and gloves. He looked the name Moonshadow.

"Well, if everybody's getting their hero outfits together…" JT said, walking off.

"I wonder what he'll do. I heard his Super name is goanna be Static Sound. He'll be in something blue or orange or white and yellow." I giggled.

Moonshadow rolled his eyes. We started watching TV. Robin joined us, and I remembered the Warp situation and walked down to the garage, where I found Cyborg.

"Hey, do you have the warp situation under control yet? I need to get my team in order, and titans East is getting themselves in order. I need to get on that as soon as I can."

"Nope, turns out Warp dumped his tech into the ocean. I meant to get back to you about that yesterday, but it didn't work out."

"Well, I'll get Feral and go on a search. We'll come back with whatever we find. Do you think you can fix it if it comes back damaged?"

"Certainly. I'll head to Silver City afterwards."

"Okay."

I left to come back to find that I'd been wrong about JT's disguise. He was wearing black, red and orange and his super hero ID was Sonic. He'd taken it because the restaurant had gone broke when we were kids, So he wouldn't be confused with a mascot. He had a red mask with a red film over both eyes.

Kassie didn't look much different than her mother's outfit. She'd become Whitefire, and was wearing a white and pink costume just like Starfire's but with a white head band that made her hair flow back.

Feral was wearing a blue outfit with no mask and letting his super short purple hair stand straight back. He had a silver utility belt and blue shoes.

My team was in uniform. And just in time too, as the alarm went off, sladebots were attacking a tech firm.

We shot out, and I took the lead. I also smashed the first sladebot with a furious ring of dark energy that sent it careening into another one, having the domino effect on ten of them. They turned to face my team. And charged.

"Titans, Go!" I shouted, and my team responded, flanking the sladebots while I attacked them head on. First one, then another, of the robots fell. One of them clipped me on the shoulder. I whirled to attack him, and smashed my foot into his face, and having the head pop off.

I turned into a tiger and leapt, destroying three more before doing a back flip and changing into an eagle mid-leap and swooping over the battle.

Whitefire had her hands full so I plunged, returning to tiger form and taking out tem of them, clearing up Whitefire and ran off to give Sonic s few claws. I took out one behind Sonic and turned into a human and covered his back with my dark energy before shooting off as a humming bird and landed next to Feral, where I took some apart as a Tyrannosaur. He looked at me.

"How do you turn into dinosaurs? I've never quite figured that out." I smiled.

"I'll tell you later." I turned into a tiger again and he went wolf, and in a matter of minutes, the ground was littered with the scraps of broken Sladebots.

I had to stay behind and talk to the police and help clean up the robots again. But this time, Moonshadow helped me.

We flew back to the tower together.

When we got back, I walked up to Feral. "Hey Feral, we need to find a time travel device warp dropped into the ocean." I said, acting as if it was normal.

"Okay, nothing out of the usual, right?" He added sarcastically.

We turned into birds and flew out of the tower, and then dolphins when we got to the docks.

They were closed for the night, so we didn't have to worry about boat propellers.

I used my sonar and swept the area, and heard Feral doing the same thing. Piers 1-20 were empty, so we moved on to 20-40, no luck. We went to 40-60, and it was a no go. We were ready to give up on 60-80, the last stretch, when I found it just outside the pier area.

I surfaced and roared as a lion, the signal that someone had found it. He came back up and saw the device next to me.

"It's a little banged up, isn't it?" He said while I shifted back.

"Cyborg said he'd fix it. Let's go."

I turned into a bird and took off, warp's tech in my talons, Feral close behind. (Did you know his real name is Garfield JR? Hehehe.)

When we arrived at the tower, first thing I did was head over to Cyborg and give him the time portal thingy. (I really don't know what it's called.)

"Hmm, yeah, I can fix this."

"Good, how long should it take? I need to get my team in order."

"About an hour, and you shouldn't rush me."

I nodded, realizing how rude that sounded, and blushed, walking away. Moonshadow was waiting for me.

"Hey, I know how badly our morning at the pier went, so can I still ask you to dinner on the beach tonight?" He asked, nervously.

I smiled at him. "Sure, I'd still love to." I said quietly.

We got out of uniform and I changed my hair to brown and my skin to the light milky tan it would normally have been if I wasn't a superhero.

We headed over to a pizzeria and grabbed a quick dinner before heading down to the beach to watch the sunset and swim.

"The sun's setting." I said, watching the bright orb sink into the ocean, casting it's dying orange rays to cover the sky and turn the clouds pink.

He pulled me close, and he kissed me. I returned it, feeling my skin tingle and my heart felt light as a feather.

It ended all too soon.

"Come on, we should go back."

I forgot where for a moment before remembering my duties as a heroine.

This is my brain: O

This is my brain after making out with Don: '

It's very sad.

I turned into a bird and flew back to the tower, landing in my room and changing from my swimsuit and purple sundress into my superhero outfit and drying my hair off. I changed my hair to green and my skin to blue gray.

Then I walked down to the main room and got the time traveling doohickey and walked over to Robin.

"Hey Robin, Ready to head back to your own time?" I asked.

His face brightened from the sad look he'd had for the time he'd been here.

I entered the date and time he'd come from and opened the portal.

"Good bye!" I shouted as he stepped through.

The portal closed and I found the rest of my team next to me, putting us in a formation.

I smiled. We are titans, and heroes. We protect the world, and always will, now and forever.


	11. Final Note

Not a chapter

So I'm glad you liked my story, and the sequel has been started.

It's called Feral. The picture on the front has a wolf.

If you're interested in other stories, I have another two fics I'm in the process of writing.

The First one is Avenging Angel, a TT and YJ crossover.

The other one is a HTTYD story called The land of Night.


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